Just the Cook
by strange1
Summary: Uber story. Young Sara is from a wealthy political family and been studying at Oxford. She starts receiving threats unknown to her. Enter young Emily. She has tragic events in her past but is Special Forces and determined to keep her charge safe. They are from different worlds yet more alike then they realize. Will they find love before tragedy strikes? FF!
1. Chapter 1

AN-Here's another uber Xena. Sara Kingston is a senator's daughter and has been off at Oxford and coming back home for the summer. Soon she'll be 19 and thinks her father is overprotective and that she is being held back. Enter a real threat that means she needs protection. Enter Emily House. She's only 22 but already a Special Forces dynamite. There is nothing that she can't do or so she thinks. Her weakness is cooking and petite blonds. She is put in place as the cook and meets the petite blond. Will these two kryptonites cause her to fail in her duty to protect the young naïve Sara?

Sara Kingston (yes of _those_ Kingstons) looked out the window of the private jet. Since she was five years old she had been traveling on her own. Her parents had been campaigning since before she was born and the only thing she really ever felt was that she was a photo op for her parents. Kiss the baby and the beautiful blond green eyed adorable infant that everyone fell in love with. Well almost everyone that is. That made the petite blond with the emerald sparkling eyes sigh at the thought.

Of course even if she had gotten Teresa to admit that she had similar feelings there was no way that she could do anything about it. Sara's parents were out in the public and being gay was not something that they would 'allow' to happen. Even with the recent outings in politics they still chose to cling to the old fashion ways of doing things. Of course the fact that her parents were about as right wing as one could get would explain that.

Her attention was brought to her little blue tooth phone as it rang a bell alerting her to the fact that she had an e-mail. Sighing as she saw who it was from and knew without reading it what it said she knew exactly what it contained. Sure enough 'sorry sweetheart but a dinner came up. There are so many here that are willing to contribute to your father's campaign we cannot pass up the opportunity. See you in the morning.' The teenager quickly deleted the message without any feeling whatsoever.

That was the side effect being raised in a political environment all your life. It started out at the local levels of government leading up to being in the governor's mansion and now finally as a senator. The house of representatives was probably next and of course the big seat is where her father wanted to be some day. That was something that gave the young woman the creeps as she was already under enough scrutiny day in and day out.

All she really wanted to do was find someone that was different. Sara was so tired of being with people that had money and were used to the privileges that came along with that. There were of course a few people that she knew that didn't fall into that category. Her best friend Megan had a similar background growing up but was even more down to earth than the petite blond. While at school she had met a young man name Edward. He too had money even possibly a duke hood of some kind and yet he treated her and everyone else like normal human beings.

The petite blond had the feeling that the young man had some feelings of a more romantic nature but she had turned him down. There were only two people in the world that knew that she was gay. Not even her parents realized that she was a lesbian. Megan of course was one of them and had often tried to get her to come out of the closet. That was not going to happen until she was on her own and away from the spotlight. Then there was her oldest and dearest friend Cynthia. She had gone wherever the Kingstons had gone and was an amazing cook and also had been her nanny.

Of course the woman was getting up there in age and sadly Sara knew that any day now she would retire. She just hoped that the woman would keep in touch as so many of the people that had a hand in raising her over the years had not. Butlers, maids, gardeners and nannies had come and gone. The only constant in her life was Cynthia. Not even the petite blond's parents could be considered her parents. She sighed as she remembered the e-mail that she had just deleted.

"I wonder if Cynthia is still there. Last she said she wasn't going to retire until I came home for the summer." Sara mumbled aloud. There was no one in the cabin with her. It was a tiny private jet that she was in and yet was approved for the long flight over the Atlantic Ocean. There were two flight attendants and two pilots and that was it. Otherwise she found herself alone as she always did. "I so need a girlfriend!"

At that moment the female flight attendant chose to come out of the back with the meal. She looked the young blond up and down. The woman was older, had brown shoulder length hair with neat bangs and brown eyes so dark they almost looked black in the low lighting. Her figure was nice, Sara had to admit. But there was a coldness about her and she had always thought that there was. This was the fifth flight that they had endured together. Neither liked the other.

Candace chose to ignore her lone charge's comments. It was no shock to her that the young blond was a lesbian. There had been a few times that she had caught the younger woman looking her up and down. Other flight attendants she had worked with had said the same thing. But none of them could say anything as they had all signed confidentiality agreements that pertained to the entire Kingston family. The things she could tell not only about the daughter but the father were shocking to say the least.

"Would you care to have dinner now?" The brown haired woman smiled smugly at the younger woman. To her she was just another spoiled rich brat that was not deserving of the things that she had. True that Sara was rumored to do for almost every charity that there was but to the flight attendant that was all for show. All the political ones did things for charities just for show and the young blond had never shown her any difference.

Sara held her gaze steady with the older woman. She knew the look that she was receiving. She may just have finished her freshman year at Oxford and may not yet to have left her teen years behind but she knew when someone was being condescending and disapproving. If she was the rich spoiled brat that the older woman thought she was she'd just get her fired. But that was not her style nor would it ever be. "Thanks. I appreciate it." _Not really but I was taught to be polite but not by my parents._

"Very well." There was that same tone of voice and it made the young petite blond want to strangle the woman. But she held that in check as she knew it was not worth it. Sara was lost in thought staring at the clouds that went by. It was already turning from day to night and there were just the faintest show of the night stars coming out to visit. A tray of food was practically thrown down in front of her. "If you need anything just give the bell a jingle." The smile came out as if she were suffering from gas.

The petite blond managed to keep from laughing until the woman had gone behind the curtain. Sometimes it really was too much trying to maintain a dignified demeanor sometimes. It had gotten her in trouble on a couple occasions and some unflattering photos had ended up in either newspapers or magazines. Of course her parents had been more worried about how it would reflect on generations of 'tired blood' as Sara liked to refer to it.

That brought a smirk to her face. _This family needs a scandal. None of the cousins dare to show any kind of personality. They are all too stupid to do anything and need to live off the family money. Grandfather would be rolling over in his grave seeing what happened to his company and his family. He never wanted anyone to go into politics. And yet his oldest son did just that. I wonder what my great grandparents would think of their great granddaughter._

Sara sighed as part of her just wanted to scandalize her family. But there was the other part of her that was just too good for her own good. Far from being a total innocent she was overall a good soul. All she wanted to do was to continue on her path that would lead her to becoming a doctor. She would scandalize her parents by not becoming some high priced doctor but instead would struggle and open up a free clinic. Even with reforms in healthcare there would always be need for those kinds of establishments.

The petite blond ate in silence looking at her phone and wishing that someone would at least e-mail her. As always she felt totally alone. She felt like there was no one out there that could even come close to understanding what she was going through. Perhaps there was no such thing as true love and soul mates. And yet the young woman just couldn't give up on love. That and doing her charity work and looking forward to serving those in need were the only things that kept her going. Sigh.

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"You have got to be kidding me!" Emily House's voice seemed to carry. It was a bit more than she had intended for and more than the usually reserved Special Forces veteran was used to using. In general she was the tall dark silent type. But when you told her that she was going to pose as a cook, not one of her many skills, and babysit some rich senator's brat that was just the kind of reaction you were going to get. Gaining her usual demeanor she stood quickly at attention waiting for the rest of her orders.

General Nathan Adams watched his young charge carefully as she gathered herself once again. It was rare that she lost her composure in this manner. He had known that she would not be happy with the assignment but there were not that many in their unit that would be qualified to serve and yet somewhat blend in. Everyone else was the epitome of military including haircuts. But not his youngest protégé as she sported her raven haired locks just past her shoulders. The bangs were cut to accentuate her beautiful hypnotic blue eyes. While definitely a soldier she was also the definition of feminine.

When she was in uniform like she was now that was hard to fathom. She had on her camouflage tight fitting uniform that showed off her well defined muscular body. Her dark locks were pulled up into a bun and she would be wearing her hat except she was inside. Her black boots looked like they had been polished for weeks. Her posture was that of an officer in charge which of course she was. She held the rank of captain one of the fastest to move up the ranks especially for a woman.

"That's better." It was a simple statement but one that told Emily that she had almost crossed a line. The number one rule of Special Forces was that you obeyed orders without question. Now had she requested that they speak freely that would have been another matter but she had not. "I know you don't have that many culinary skills but we've already set up a crash course. Plus the current cook/nanny has agreed to stay on part-time to help until you are adjusted."

Emily sighed at the thought. _Great. Not only do I get an assignment that most likely I only get because I'm one of the few that doesn't look like a GI Joe doll but I'm relegated to seeking help from a civilian. Although if she has been around the Kingston household she might have some insight into the threats that the daughter has been receiving. As always you've got to make the best of any situation, House. You were trained for this kind of thing._ "Yes Sir!"

The general smiled. Ever since her parents were both lost in service to their country he had basically been her father. His wife, before she had died of breast cancer just last year, had been her mother. True she had lived with her older brother but he had looked at it more as an obligation rather than just simply taking care of family when the need arose. He almost hated the man but then not everyone was as strong when it came to morals and common sense as the woman standing before him was.

"You need to get with Lieutenant Daniels. Robert is waiting for you at the mess tent." The older man looked at his watch. It was just after two in the afternoon and there was still time that she could get some much needed knowledge in. "He went to culinary school before joining the military so it won't be just mess food he'll be teaching you about. Learn. Observe. Do!" It was one of the mottos that they lived by and had saved the young woman on more than one occasion.

"Sir, yes Sir!" Emily didn't wait to be dismissed like she usually was. Their familiarity with one another sometimes caused her to forget that he was truly her superior officer and some of the protocols went right out the door when it came to the general. As she made her way to the mess hall she reflected on her life. It hadn't been easy. It had been very lonely after she had turned twelve and her father had been killed in action. Her mother had died a year before that.

Living with her brother had been no picnic especially after he had caught her with a girl. They had only been kissing and barely at that. She was sixteen and had just come home from a school dance. At that point he had threatened to kick her out saying that she would be a bad influence on her infant niece. Even then she had an attitude and remembered with relish how she had told the man to 'bite her' and continued saying 'at least you didn't see me sucking on her tits'.

That of course had earned her a back hand to her face and a split lip. But she really hadn't cared at the time. The teenage her was still coming to terms with realizing that she was gay and didn't need a bigoted jerk of a brother talking smack about her or how she would corrupt her niece. She had needed support. That was where the general's wife had come in. Now there had never been a more loving woman with the exception of her own mother. And she had kept the secret that could have kept her out of the military.

The only regret that she had over the whole confrontation with her brother that day was how horrible that the young girl that had been very close to becoming her first that long ago day had been treated. But the young girl had been scared and Emily could not blame her. In fact it had scared her as well and while she wouldn't admit it to anyone not even the general's wife but she was still a virgin. Besides waiting for the right person wasn't that old fashioned or that outdated, was it?

All these thoughts were shoved from the soldier's head as she entered the mess hall. There was only a slight bit of activity as the next meal would not be served for another four hours. She returned the salutes that were given to her though most that saluted her were older than she was. The dark haired woman tried not to smirk as she knew just how much the men hated having to salute a woman that was younger than they were.

That was one thing that Emily was beginning to notice about herself. When she had first joined the Army she had been fierce, determined and the consummate soldier. But now that she was getting a little older it seemed that maintaining that stiff and necessary attitude was getting difficult. Like her outburst to the general just a little while ago. That would never have happened just a year ago. Perhaps she really missed the general's wife, Martha more than she was able to let on.

The next few hours were a blur for the young woman. Trying to learn how to cook, really cook was getting on her nerves. She was a military woman. The only kind of cooking she needed to know about was survival cooking. But with only a few days to prepare she had to get it down and quickly. They had called it quits for the night and she had decided that it was time to let loose just a little bit. First she needed a shower to get the smell of cooking off from her skin.

After a quick military efficient shower she emerged feeling a lot better about herself. In fact she decided since it was Friday night that she would treat herself to a meal off base. Quickly she dressed in her favorite civilian clothes. That consisted of extremely tight fitting black slim fit jeans, a very tight fitting black A shirt that she reluctantly covered with her black leather jacket. The weather was still cold a little even though summer was just around the corner.

Emily got on her Harley Davison motorcycle. It was not that she actually preferred the two wheeled transportation it was that it was fuel efficient and it was easy to get it transferred or if unable to transfer at least store if she got assigned to another base or sent overseas. She tightened the strap of the black helmet that had a golden tiger on the back of it. Protecting her eyes were black police style sunglasses. All in all she looked anything but a soldier or a cook at that moment in time.

As Emily walked into the little far out of the way diner she smiled at the looks that she was getting. She knew that her near six foot tall lanky frame made her stand out. Put her in uniform and it really made her stand out. This place was a place that she could blend in just a little. In fact at one time she had thought of not going into the military and becoming a short order cook. Not the same as what the general wanted her to pose at but still she did have just a tiny bit of experience.

Until the owner, Charlene had to kick her out of the kitchen because she had almost burnt the joint down. That was when she was seventeen and had run away from her brother for a short time. The woman was only a handful of years older than her and had been married to the previous owner who had run off with one of the waitresses. It had been a fun time for the teenager something she had had very little of in her youth.

"Well look what the cat dragged in!" Charlene came out from behind the counter. Though running a small obscure diner was not the easiest thing in the world the woman bore the stress well. Her petite frame and auburn hair were still almost the same as they had been five years ago. She had gained just a little weight but was still in overall great shape. "I haven't seen you in years, too tall!" Even under the sunglasses she knew that the taller woman was rolling her eyes.

"Been a long time." Emily closed the distance between them and found herself engulfed in a bear hug. The scent of the woman and the feel of her arms around her made her flash briefly to another time. It was about two months after she had started hanging out at the diner and the older woman had made a move. The soldier had come very close to losing her virginity that day. But something had made her stop. It was not that she hadn't cared and still did care about the woman. It was just that 'the feeling' wasn't there. Deep in her heart the soldier knew that she'd know when the right woman came along.

"Been too long." Finally Charlene released her from the bear hug. She stood back and looked at her younger friend up and down. _She always has known just what to wear to drive people wild. Woman whether straight or not go gaga for her. Men slip on their drool. It ain't fair to be six foot tall and drop dead gorgeous. And to be so damn young!_ "That military life is going to age you if you are not careful. You've got to learn to relax sometime."

Emily was led over to the counter where she slipped easily onto the stool. "Perhaps. But I've still got two more years on this commitment so I can't run away with you until then." That earned her a playful smack on the arm. "What?" The soldier took her glasses off and set them on the counter. "You think that I'm joking? You are the one that got away, Charlene." She enjoyed very much the bright red color that went up not only the older woman's face but also down her arms as well.

Charlene simply shook her head. She went over to the coffee pots and poured herself and her friend a cup. "You still take it like you?" That got one eyebrow raised in question. "Well you are tall dark and dangerous so I figure that you take it dark just like you." That got her a playful smack on the butt as the owner of the diner went to get some fresh creamer for herself. "Better watch it. I know someone in the military. She can kick your butt."

It felt good for the soldier to banter like this. Her military life, while she loved it dearly, was too strict. It was becoming suffocating and at this moment she was sure that when the next two years of her contract had gone by she would probably opt not to renew. What she would do with her life after the military she had no idea. But that was a long way off. Too much could happen in that short amount of time. "She better be tough. I've been known to take down Neanderthals in my time."

The diner owner rolled her hazel eyes. This was how she liked to see her friend. There was a time when she was anything but playful like this. There was a time when she had come back from one of her missions that she of course could not talk about and the older woman swore that her younger friend was close to committing suicide. Whether it was just being back home or maybe seeking council she had somehow gotten through that. "So what can I get you hot stuff?"

Once again Emily was rolling her eyes. _I'm going to miss this. I won't be able to come here when I have to babysit a brat twenty four seven. Why am I even having to be the one to do this? It's a senator's brat that needs protection. That should be secret service or FBI or something shouldn't it? This is no place for the army._ She sighed heavily before ordering the three star chili. This was one of the few times she didn't eat healthy.

The little bell over the diner door emitted its little tinkling sound. The raven haired beauty turned to see who had come in. It was mostly her military training always wanting to know her surroundings and who was around her. The vision that was before her made her chin literally drop. There was a petite blond with wonderfully layered short hair. The young woman was scanning for a place to sit and for a moment she got a good look at the twinkling green eyes.

Emily quickly turned back around and took a swallow of her coffee. Her mouth had gone dry looking at the vision before her. The natural senses that the soldier had came to life and she could feel that the woman sat at the booth all the way to the back of the diner. If she squinted and just turned her head she could once again get a glimpse of the young woman that had caused her breathing to stop just for a moment or two.

No one had ever affected the tall woman that way. Never in her life had she thought that it was possible to feel like she was. Oh she had seen it in movies or read it in books but never had she thought that it was really real. She had thought it was just a way for the romance novelists to sell an extra book or two by putting such things in a story. But her head was now spinning as those green eyes were upon her. Still sitting so that it wouldn't look like she was looking she felt and saw how the emerald eyes were looking her up and down.

The soldier had to fight very hard to keep the smirk off from her face. In fact she decided to give the woman a real show and that way it was not just her that was left breathless. Emily picked up her sunglasses and then took off her jacket and set it on the empty stool next to her. The dark haired woman had excellent hearing and could have sworn she heard the younger woman gasp. Again nonchalantly she flexed her arm acting as if she was sore. Another gasp at least that's what she thought she heard.

Emily knew that she looked good. She was not vein really it was just that she had to stay in shape because of military life. Her skin had just the slightest tan to it almost making her look a little exotic and she was tall. It was the fantasy of a lot of women and men and she was not about to say that it wasn't. With her sunglasses on she really couldn't see the blond anymore so she decided to go ahead and eat her chili and drink her coffee and wait to see if the young woman made a move.

Charlene kept coming up to her and making small talk and she had trouble focusing on it. In all of Emily's military life she had never felt this distracted by anything. Even with a gun trained right at her temple she had still been able to think clearly and get out of the situation. Yet here was a beautiful young woman that she had been tantalizing and now she was the one that couldn't stop looking at her. _I guess turnabout is fair play._

Emily sighed heavily and knew that she had been rebuffed when the young woman hadn't even looked at her in ten minutes. Deciding that it was late enough she gave Charlene a ten dollar bill and said her goodnight to the older woman of course being told that she had to make sure that she came back more often. She gave the vaguest of hints that she might not be around for a little while as something had once again come up.

As the soldier slipped on her leather jacket she felt a presence. She turned slowly around to see the petite blond that had captured her fascination the moment that she had entered the diner. Green eyes looked up at her and she smiled just out of reflex. For some reason she felt like she had looked into those eyes before but knew that was not the case. The woman standing before her was a complete stranger. "Can I help you with something?" Her voice was a little more husky than she had meant for it to be.

It took a moment for the blond to respond. It was, to Emily, as if she had been struck speechless. Whether that had been because of her voice, her words or just her overall dominating presence she was not sure. The tall dark haired woman simply stood there waiting for the other woman to respond. It really did take forever and as much as the soldier wanted to get to know this woman better she knew she should get back to base. Of course there always was her apartment.

Sara had been struck speechless or dumb or something. Her intention was to walk up to the tall dark and gorgeous woman and ask if they had met before. She had stared at her the entire evening not only because she was an amazing looking woman but also because there was something very familiar about her. It was as if they had met before. The odds of that were not that good she knew as she spent a majority of her time in England at college and stuck campaigning for her father.

Finally the petite blond found her voice. "I just wanted to say that you look very good." It caused a blush that went from the top of her head down to her very toes. That got a chuckle out of the tall woman and Sara mentally cursed. What she said was something to embarrass her even more. "Crab nuggets." The blush deepened from a slight red to almost purple in shade. "I better just go." _Brilliant. You go ask her if you've met before and this is what you end up saying? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

Emily's first instinct was to reach out and stop the young woman. But then she remembered what was going to happen in just a couple days and sighed heavily. It would be stupid to even attempt to start a relationship at this point as she had no idea how long the assignment was going to last. Besides her saying that she was 'you look very good' meant nothing. Perhaps she was just into black. That was probably it. _Yeah and you don't want to go over there and kiss her senseless._

That thought scared the soldier and she took off out the door. Quickly she made her way to her motorcycle and took several breaths of the cool spring air trying to get her libido in check. _Whoa! That hasn't happened to me in…_Emily got onto her motorcycle and got her helmet snuggly on her head. _That has never happened to you. You've never just wanted to make out with a girl. Been attracted and kinda wanted to kiss one but not like this where you just wanted to kiss her until she her breathing was ragged and her heart racing…_

Emily started up her motorcycle the feel of her own breathing and heart racing echoing throughout her body. The roar of the engine caused the soldier to take off leaving a slight skid mark behind. The cool wind blowing her hair back and biting at her cheeks made her feel a little better. Still this was the first time that anyone had ever gotten under her skin like that. Of course the likely hood of seeing her again was astronomical.

Inside the diner Sara had made her way over to the door. She found herself staring after the tall dark woman with eyes to die for. She'd only gotten a glimpse of those eyes before she had put her sunglasses back on but it had been enough to make her go weak in the knees. It had made her want to meet the woman and she had and inserted foot in mouth. That was not like her. Usually, even when seeking more than friendship which she wasn't very often, the young woman was never at a loss for words.

But this older woman, there was something different about her. Was it just her height that made her seem so much more special? Was it the slight tan that she had to her skin? Was it the fact that those piercing blue eyes could make you get lost for hours at a time? Sara sighed as she watched the woman get on her motorcycle and drive off. _Well you'll never know now. She was probably just driving through hence the motorcycle._ The blond sighed and went back to her table to finish her lonely dinner alone.

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Less than a week later Emily House was pulling up to the gated mansion that belonged to the Kingston's. She was dressed in blue jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. She had a uniform of sorts in the bag stored in the compartment on the back of her motorcycle. She pushed the button for the security guard. A huffy older man came waddling out of the guard shack. "Name and ID please." The man looked like he lived on donuts and no exercise.

The soldier shook her head in disgust. Oh she didn't have anything against overweight people. It was just people that didn't take their jobs seriously. Anyone in security should be at their peak in physical and mental conditioning. That was probably going to have to change once she got a look around. Of course she'd have to do it discreetly as only a handful of people knew the real reason that she was there. She handed the man her driver's license.

Without a word he handed it back and buzzed the door open. To her that was a little bit lacking when it came to security but that would have to be assessed as things went on. Of course she hoped that this assignment wouldn't last too long. She just wanted to get back to real military operations and not this stupid babysitting assignment. The Harley roared up the driveway. Already having gotten pictures of the layout of the mansion she pulled up beside the garage and walked to the side door.

Already there was a tall woman, not as tall as her, that was nearly sixty years old. Her chestnut hair was full of gray but her eyes and her demeanor were warm and welcoming. After studying the photos of staff she knew right away that this was the woman that she would be working with. The door opened and allowed her to pass by. "I take it you're the soldier that's come to protect my little Sara?" Her voice was tense. _That's how a parent's voice should sound,_ sighed the younger woman.

And yet when she had spoken to the senator all he sounded like he was more annoyed and definitely came across as concerned more with how it would affect his latest campaign than his own daughter's safety. Already she was hating this assignment just for that reason. "My name is Emily House." She tried to tone down the military inflection that she had picked up over the past four plus years. It was hard as it simply came natural to her.

The older woman took the hand that was offered to her. She looked the woman up and down and saw that she had a bag in her hand and smiled. "You came prepared I see." Emily nodded and unzipped the bag showing her just a little bit of the uniform that was packed away. "Good. The senator hates anything that is out of place or not within his standards." She wanted to add 'even his daughter' but thought better of it to this stranger.

"I'm always prepared." The older woman showed her where she could change. It wasn't quite a French maids uniform but was pretty close. With her height it made the skirt seem even shorter than it really was. While not really a dress or skirt kind of gal she would on occasion wear one. But they had not prepared her for this short and tight outfit. Her hair was back in its traditional severe tight bun. Sighing heavily she made her way back to the kitchen. "I might have to get a new one of these."

Emily turned quickly when she heard a familiar voice. She found herself staring into the same green eyes that she had looked into the night before at the diner. "That outfit is very nice." The green eyes raked her over a couple times clearly enjoying what she saw. It made the soldier's whole body tingled at the attention that she was receiving. She was not used to being ogled quite this openly. "But then again Daddy won't approve so you're probably right about getting a new one." Sara winked at the taller woman and smiled as she saw the faint traces of a blush. "Pity."

The soldier watched slack jawed as the petite blond that had stolen her heart the night before made her escape to another part of the house. "You'll have to forgive her." Emily's attention was once again on the cook. "She's been in Europe the past several months and getting quite the education. And I'm not just talking about general academics either." The cook smiled as she watched the tall woman shift nervously from foot to foot. _I think you like my little peanut. I just hope you don't break her heart. Or that she breaks yours. She's different now. Almost too different._

Finally Emily was able to snap out of what stupor she had been in and listened to the cook tell her the daily schedule. She studied every part of the kitchen so she would know where everything was. Finally the woman showed her to a room that was in the upstairs back of the house. It was small and had no television or radio but it did have a tiny private bathroom. It was not much more than what she was used to in her barracks when she stayed in them and that was just fine with the soldier.

The soldier went over to the small window and opened it to let out the stuffiness of the room. What she saw nearly made her heart jump through her throat. Emily could see down into the glass covered indoor heated pool. Alone was Sara in a two piece bikini that left nothing to the imagination. The soldier rubbed her chin and thought _this is going to be one interesting assignment._ She pulled out the photo that she had been given of the girl and shook her head. It had to be five years old. The girl had reddish blond hair that was down to the middle of her back along with bangs.

_She was the girl from the diner. No wonder I didn't recognize her when I was at the dinner. Her hair is now as golden as a ray of sun. It's short and but still very well styled. She's grown up a lot in the past few years. Her body is well defined. I wonder if she works out or has any kind of marital arts training?_ Emily smiled to herself and knew right then and there that this assignment was going to be trouble. If not trouble because of the threat than because of the cute petite blond that just gave her a wink.


	2. Chapter 2

Sara had gone immediately to the pool house and changed into her yellow bikini. It was an outfit that would give her parents fits and why she usually only wore it when she was alone. For the most part she really didn't feel that comfortable showing off this much skin but around the house and in front of a select few friends it was all right. For her it was that she loved the feel of both the warmth of the sun on her skin and the coolness of the water. It was a contrast and made her feel really good.

Her mind was drifting as she thought about two women. One was the one that she had just teased with such glee. It wasn't like her to act like that around women. In general it was open mouth and insert foot. Usually stuttering was involved. But this woman just looked like she needed a good teasing. And it had felt good to tease her and she was in the safety of her own home. She looked a little flabbergasted and that too made the petite blond feel good. Perhaps it was just being back in the house yet again without her parents that she loathed so much.

Or perhaps there was something about the woman. Of course she had thought that about the woman that she had seen in the diner a few nights before. Now there was someone she would definitely like to get to know better. It had almost been crushing when she had put those sunglasses on. It was those eyes that made her drool worthy. Not that her body wasn't good as she was tall, muscular, lean and just a cool drink of water.

Sara shook her head trying to get rid of the image of the woman from the diner. She was all those things along with dressing all in black and wow! _Stop that Sara Margaret Kingston! You know the way she was dressed she was probably one of those that drift from place to place never wanting to settle down. You promised yourself that you would wait until the right woman came along before you made love to someone. A drifter would not be the right one no matter how hot she was._

At that moment the petite blond's gaze made its way up to the window of the room that most likely the new employee would be staying in. Sure enough, the curtain moved and an outline was in the window. While not being able to see too well because of the sun's glaring rays she decided to go ahead and wink. _This new girl seems so stiff and stuffy and yet familiar. I have so got to have fun with her. Maybe I can get her to go out with me. That would piss Daddy off. Perfect!_

She watched a moment more before the curtain moved again and she knew that whoever had been there was no longer looking out. Standing and stretching she was about to begin doing her laps. It was her ritual to at least swim a hundred laps each day. With her busy academic schedule she really didn't have much time for any other kind of workout. Swimming was fun and it was something she could fit in almost every day.

Sara had taken a few tentative steps toward the pool when her cell phone rang out. It was the alert of an e-mail once again and not an actual call. The petite blond padded back to the lounge chair and sat down picking her cell phone up at the same time. Sliding her finger across the screen until she got to where she wanted she read the e-mail and her shoulders sank. It should not have come to her as a surprise and it didn't. Still it hurt very much when she realized that on her first full day back from college her parents were going overseas for a summit of some kind.

Wanting nothing more than to smash the expensive cell phone and make her Father buy her yet another one she decided that was juvenile. After all…_Oh you have got to be freakin kidding me!_ There was now a real touch of anger to the petite blond's face and her cheeks reddened because of the hatred that was seething throughout her body. _My birthday is Saturday and they can't even stick around for that? How often does your daughter turn nineteen?_

Taking a few deep breaths she tried to calm herself but it was of no use. Deciding that the best course of action at least for the moment was to cool off in the pool and work out the physical strain that was now surging throughout her entire being, she went to the deep end of the pool. Slowly she climbed up on the diving board and walked to the end. She bounced once and then twice and then plunged into the lukewarm water.

The splash was minimal as she had been on the swim and diving team at her private school. She had given that up once she had started college. Sara wanted to concentrate fully on her studies in hopes that she would get into one of the best medical schools. If nothing else she wanted to get away from her parents. That was why she had chosen Oxford in the first place to which her parents were more than happy to approve. It wasn't Harvard but it was still an elite college.

Sara fell back into her usual rhythm of the swim. Her mind seemed to just go blank and it felt amazing. Not having to worry about her family, all their petty squabbles and the fact that no matter what she did with her life once she came out to her parents that would be the end of their support of her. Not that she had any support really outside of money. It would be a shock to the system if they ever actually hugged her or even said a kind word.

Hell it would be a shock if they actually spoke with her. She was so used to dealing with impersonal e-mails or texts or a note that to actually hear either of her parents voice would be like hearing a strangers at this point. The water rushed over her sleek body as she dove under slightly so that she could turn and kick out of the wall and continue on her journey of trying to forget. Forget just how much she loathed being who she was and wished she could be anywhere but where she was.

Suddenly it was all too much. For all the bravado that she tried to convey she instead simply broke down. She was treading water in the deepest part of the pool and was sobbing. It was getting hard to keep herself afloat as the tears were becoming too much. The tension and stain of the past couple days was just too much for the young blond. While she was in good shape and used to swimming her muscles were not used to all the added stress and her legs began to cramp.

Before she knew what was happening the petite blond was no longer able to tread water. Sara was sinking. Her arms tried to keep her afloat but she could not keep her head above water. Things were getting dark when all of a sudden there was a displacement in the water next to her. There was a strong arm around her waist and it was pulling her up. Finally the light came into view and she was sputtering trying very hard to breathe.

For a little bit she could feel herself being pulled along in the water. Her eyes were refusing to open out of fear of what was going on. It was clear that she and whoever her rescuer was were now in the shallow part. She should just stand and walk out of the pool but there was something about the strong arm that she never wanted to have it let her go again. Her world seemed to spin around as she felt another strong arm wrap around her.

Finally, as Sara felt herself being carried, she dared to open up her eyes. The sight that was in front of her was one that made her mentally gasp. It was the woman from the diner. The wet dark hair was in disarray and the blue eyes were a touch bloodshot probably from the chlorine of the pool. But this was definitely the woman that she had made a fool out of herself in front of. Instinctively her one arm snaked around the powerful neck and the other clasped the hand finding that she was rubbing against the breast of the familiar woman.

That sensation sent a jolt to the young blond's very core. Only once had she made it past first base and this didn't count. And yet she felt something she had never felt with anyone else. Her head managed to look up at the blue that were flickering around obviously scanning for something. She felt them change directions and once again she found herself sitting in the lounge chair that she had not vacated that long ago. The tall woman looked at her with a worried look on her face.

If she had any intelligence at all, Sara would have said something as simple as, "Thank you." But those were not the words that escaped from her mouth. No what escaped from her mouth was, "You are strong." She could feel the heat of the blush on her cheeks and against the water that was slowly gliding down her face. The petite blond leaned her head back and cringed at the thought of just how stupid she found herself sounding around the tall woman.

The words and the look on the younger woman's face garnered a soft chuckle out of the tall dark woman. "It comes from lifting all those bags of flour." When the blond gave her a questioning look she continued. "My name is Emily. I'm the new cook. Well I'm the part-time cook and part-time do whatever I'm told girl." Her first instinct was to salute and she mentally cursed herself. Instead she held out a hand to the younger woman.

Sara was surprised by the size and the strength in the hand that engulfed her petite ones. Oh she had her own strength but it was nothing like this. This was something that came naturally to a person. Their hands stayed clasped a few minutes longer than was probably appropriate but the petite blond really didn't care. In fact she wanted to get to know those hands a lot better. _Stop that you horny little slut!_ "Well I see what one of your other jobs is." She kept her gaze steady in those blue eyes. "Looks like you are also a life guard."

Emily was hypnotized by those green eyes. She had never seen anything like them. Her arms, neck and chest were still tingling with the feel of the younger woman's touch upon her skin. It was something she had not felt in a very long time. It was something she never allowed herself to feel. Not since that day so many years ago that seemed just like yesterday. Quickly she blinked as she knew the tears would fall if she could not distract herself and in a hurry.

There was an amazing distraction in front of her and yet a reminder too. Sighing she decided to go with the banter that the other woman had started. "Well I can save you from the water. Not sure if you won't want to be saved from my cooking as well." It was a stupid joke but perhaps it would be enough to get the girl to stop looking at her like that. It was how…_NO! Stop thinking about her and what happened. That was a lifetime ago. This is now._

Sara could see some kind of turmoil going through the dark haired woman's eyes but decided that it was not her business. Although it would be nice to have someone around that was her age and maybe that they could be friends. Too many of the people that worked for her father just thought of her as another spoiled rich brat and never took the time to get to know her. All she wanted was for someone to see her for who she was instead of a Kingston.

"This is going to sound kinda crazy since this is your first day and all but would you like to go out to dinner?" That got not one but both eyebrows raised. Once again Sara could feel a little bit of warmth on her cheeks as she knew that she was blushing. The other woman had made a joke about her cooking and she counters with asking her to dinner. _Stupid! You are so stupid!_ Sara sighed and carefully stood up the cramps in her leg having almost gone. She picked up a towel and began drying herself off. "Never mind. That would put you out of a job. And why would you want to hang out with some kid anyways."

Emily put a gentle hand on the younger girl's shoulder and it caused Sara to stop what she was doing and turn around to look into concerned eyes. _You talked so big in the kitchen and yet you have low self-confidence don't you?_ It was the soldier's turn to sigh. A bit of anger built up inside her at just how she must have been treated by her family to be this way. _You are drop dead gorgeous and deserve so much better._

_Where did all that come from? Em girl you better watch yourself. You fell hard and fast once before and you know where you ended up. It almost killed you when she…_Emily swallowed hard pushing the hateful memory way down deep once again. It was something that she was good at. Her military training was good for a lot of things. "So exactly how old do you think this decrepit cook is anyways?" Her blue eyes were twinkling hoping that the younger woman would know she was kidding.

That got a genuine smile out of the petite blond. It was the first real smile she had felt since she had come back to the states. Part of her was regretting coming back home. Though here was not really home for her. True her parents, uncle and cousins were all here but the only thing that made it feel like home was Cynthia and the horses. _Gotta remember to go for a ride later. That will make me feel better and more at home. At least it has in the past._

"Oh I'd say you were really old." Sara's green eyes were twinkling as much as the blue ones were. She took a moment to look the tall woman over. The dark haired woman was literally towering over her from the positions they were in. While not being super short she was used to people being taller than her. But this woman almost made her feel like a midget at times. "I'd say you are no more than twenty five." Some of her bravado was coming back and she managed a wink.

"So what, if you are out of your teen years that makes you old?" Emily knew she had nailed the girl's age. Of course she had. The file told her that the girl was going to be nineteen and this Saturday. She couldn't help but wonder if she had any plans. _Don't start. Unless it's just to keep an eye on her. So just keep your head in the game and keep this as impersonal as possible. Well after tonight and dinner that is._ "Then I'm the definition of ancient." That got a smirk from the blond. "By the way you are three years off. I turned twenty two a little over two months ago."

"Oh!" Sara laid the towel down on the lounge chair. Honestly she had thought that the other woman was older than that. In fact she had almost said thirty because of the feel that she got from the woman. Perhaps it was just that she was more mature and wise beyond her years. Some said that about the petite blond but if they only knew what went through her head. "I didn't think you were that close to my age. I'm sorry."

Emily had a smirk still on her face. "I'm told anywhere from thirty on up to forty. I just hope that I look this good when I'm that old." They both laughed at that one and the tension Sara had been feeling at worrying about upsetting her new friend was nearly erased. "Now, about dinner. Are you sure that it would be all right for you to go out with the help? After all I'm just the cook." For some reason she began to get nervous wondering what the answer might be.

Sara had sat back down on the lounge chair to ease the ache she felt in her leg muscles after the cramps. She would have to take a little time in the hot tub before they went out to dinner. Of course it wasn't even lunch time yet and she was already jumping ahead to dinner. _If I had my way I'd be jumping ahead to dessert._ That got herself a mental slap on the back of the head. _You can't keep thinking of her that way. Can you? You just met you big bundle of hormones you!_

The petite blond looked up at a nervous looking tanned woman. It was funny seeing someone so imposing looking so nervous and unsure of herself. _I guess the bigger you are the harder you fall. And it's probably harder to get over. Not that I would know that. All I've ever had are stupid crushes. But you, I think there is something more to you than meets the eye. Can't wait to get to know you, cook._ "Well you meet my age requirements so I guess dinner is still on. Shall we say around seven? How bout the diner again?"

The solider cringed inwardly at the thought. Charlene knew her and it would be hard for her to get the woman not to talk about her. Of course she could just tell the owner to act like she didn't know her. No that wouldn't work. Sighing heavily she was about to suggest they go somewhere else when she found the words, "Sure! It's one of my favorite places to eat at. Good old fashioned home cooking. Not what I'm used to and I'm sure not what you are used to either." The last part was added shyly as she was mentally flogging herself to agree to the diner.

"Thanks, Cook." Sara knew the woman's name and yet took a great deal of pleasure in calling her 'Cook'. Why she was not sure. Perhaps there was something more than met the eye to this tall dark and gorgeous woman. "Are you going to be making lunch or is Cynthia going to do it?" Not sure why she was asking. Maybe it was because she wanted to taste what Emily had to offer. When the double meaning of that hit her she instantly blushed a nice color akin to a beet.

Ignoring yet wondering about the crimson blush covering her young friend she said, "Actually, Cynthia was showing me the ropes when I felt something was wrong." Emily shifted nervously from one foot to the other hoping that Sara wouldn't notice her choice of words. It was true though. They had been slicing some tomatoes for sandwiches and suddenly the soldier had this funny feeling something wasn't right. She had excused herself and followed whatever it was that was pulling her along. That was when she found the floundering petite blond and had jumped in without hesitation. "She's probably worried. I better get back in. I definitely need to change and get cleaned up."

"Sorry about that." Sara smiled at her. "Don't work too hard, Cook. I'll see you in a few hours." Emily just nodded and turned reluctantly and left the petite blond to herself once again. _Felt something? She felt that something was wrong? How in the world do you do that with a stranger?_ The petite blond shook her head and decided that it was just one of those things. That it would never happen again. And that she and the cook were not even going to be friends.

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The rest of the day had gone by in a blur for Emily House. Part of that was because she was getting acquainted with how the household was run. Part of that was studying the threatening e-mails that the elder Kingston decided that it wasn't wise to show his daughter. The soldier thought that unfair to the younger woman but had no say. The other reason that she had been on the phone trying to get her story straight with Charlene.

Luckily the diner owner knew what Emily did for a living and asked not why she was being asked to go along with the story but was ever the drama queen and wanted to keep adding to the story. Of course the soldier had pointed out that the simpler the plan the easier it would be to keep straight. Finally the woman had agreed much to the relief of the soldier. How she had managed it she had no idea. Charlene could be difficult sometimes.

The rest of the time had been acquainting herself with the grounds and checking out the security for herself. She had only one contact from the army with her. It was her lieutenant. He had somehow been given the title of head of security. That was something she would have been far more comfortable with than trying to pretend she knew a leek from leak. But that was how it was when it came to the army. You did what you were ordered to do.

Surprised was not the word when she found the stables. While she had known from her background check that there was a stable the size and the number of horses had been left out of the report. That was something she would have to speak to the general about. Part of her wanted to saddle one of the horses and go for a ride. It had been a long time since she'd gone for a ride and an even longer time since she had learned how to ride.

That had been an interesting experience. What was she fifteen at the time? Her brother had wanted a pony for his daughter's birthday even though she was only turning two. That had gotten a lot of ribbing from his younger sister and almost gotten her banished from her own niece's party. Luckily she had calmed herself down and had been allowed to stay. Of course her brother forced her to stay in the house most of the time so she might as well have been banished.

After the party was over she had come across the owner of the horse. The woman was twenty years older than her and taken one look at her with a look that the naïve teenager had never seen before. She had offered to teach her to ride the following weekend to which the dark haired woman had gladly said yes. They had spent the entire afternoon riding and it had gotten dark. What the woman, as Emily soon found, had wanted was not to teach her how to ride.

Even with that bad first experience with horses she still loved them. It had felt natural to ride and she felt so much freedom whenever she got the chance. The last time had been when she was overseas. Instead of taking camels like they should have they took some of the Arabians that knew the desert well. But that was a time that the woman would rather not think about. That was a time that caused nightmares every night for her. And yet she still loved horses.

A blond mare caught her attention. "Temperance?" Emily read the name plaque. That was an unusual name for a horse. But the horse was beautiful. When the soldier held out her hand the horse nuzzled the palm of her hand. "You are a sweet one aren't you?" She began stroking the long neck and felt the horse nudge her repeatedly with her nose. It made Emily wonder if the horse liked her or if it wanted a treat of some kind.

"She thinks you have either a carrot or apple for her." The familiar voice caused the dark haired woman to turn around. The sight before her almost made her stop breathing. Her heart definitely skipped a couple beats as she drank in the petite blond woman. Sara was dressed in the tightest fitting black jeans that the soldier had ever seen. She had on a tight as could be red turtle neck shirt and was wearing a brown leather bomber jacket. Her green eyes were covered in a set of silver coated sun glasses.

_She's not the only one that would like a treat. Whoa! Can't be thinking such things! Gotta keep this professional!_ "They usual do. Not that I have a whole lot of experience with horses." Emily slowly made her way to where her date, platonic date, was waiting for her. She gathered herself up to her full height. It showed off her tight fitting dark royal blue jeans, her dark purple button cotton shirt, her same leather jacket and the same sun glasses from the night before. "So, how are we getting to the diner, Blondie?"

"Well we could walk but that would take us all night and I'm really hungry." Emily raised an eyebrow at her younger companion. The words still screamed of self-confidence as did her demeanor to the untrained eye. But the soldier had to deal with enemy soldiers, insurgents, locals and of course those under her. She was not an expert by any means but she knew when someone was putting on an act. Sara Kingston was putting on a whale of a performance.

In fact it made her wonder if the young girl had ever thought about going into acting. She had the knack for it that was for sure. "Very funny, whipper snapper. I of course was referring to what mode of transportation besides our own two feet." Emily had closed the distance between them and they now stood almost toe to toe. In fact the soldier could smell the light scent of an inexpensive but very alluring perfume. She could swear she could feel the body heat coming off the other woman as well.

"Ok, Grandma." Sara crossed her arms over her breasts which Emily took note of. While not as ample as her own they were still pleasing and round and firm and…The college student noticed the faraway look on the cook's face and wondered where she was at. The sun glasses hid her gaze so she could not be a hundred percent sure but she swore that she was checking out her breasts. _Oh that would just be too much if you were a lesbian. And single. And available. And…_

Now it was Emily's turn to realize that her new friend had gone off somewhere. _We are quite the pair now aren't we? This is not good. I can't act like this when we are out in public. Not because I give a crap if someone sees me checking out your ass or your breasts but because I need to observe everything going on around me. You can do this, Em. Just let the training kick in._ "Well since you are taking out the help and that's sure to piss off your parents why not go all the way. Why don't we take my Harley? I have a spare helmet just for emergencies."

_Always packing protection, huh? Ok. Even in my mind that didn't sound right. Ewww! Now that almost made me lose my appetite._ Then the petite blond looked up and down the tall dark and sexy woman with only her eyes and her appetite was back with a vengeance. Something else was there with a vengeance as well. She let a smirk appear on her face. "It's like you're reading my mind, Grandma." _Heh. I think she is actually scowling when I call her that. Better than cook. Think I'll keep it up._

"Oh I'm prepared for a lot of things, Princess." That got more than a scowl of a look. That actually got a bit of a growl out of the petite blond. _Hope I didn't push it with that nickname. She probably gets that all the time coming from money. I wish people would wait to see how someone is after they meet them. I had no idea what to think of you Sara before we met. Even from less than a day I know that you are anything but a princess. _"Sorry. I went too far."

Sara tilted her head to the side thinking that about what her new friend had just said. And yes, though she was just the cook, there was something about the other woman that made her want to be friends and more. "If it were anyone else but you I think I'd be offended." She made a motion with her head and they were off toward where the motorcycle was still parked. "I noticed your motorcycle this morning when I got up. Didn't get a good look at it the other night so I didn't know it was you until I saw your eyes."

At first Emily was not sure what her friend was talking about then she realized that she was talking about their brief encounter at the diner where the soldier had flirted shamelessly and where the college girl had gotten so flustered. Of course the cook would never admit to just how much she too had been affected by the whole encounter. Especially not now that she was in charge of the younger woman's safety.

And her safety was worrying her. While the threats were all generic and therefore were going to be nearly impossible to trace as they probably came from a dozen different internet cafes there was still something about them that Emily could not help but make her gut kick in. It was a similar feeling as what had happened earlier and she had rushed to Sara's side and saved her from possibly drowning. There was something going on that could turn deadly. Hopefully she'd be able to find out what that was.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The motorcycle roared back onto the estate after not only having dinner at the diner but also a movie marathon at one of the few twenty four hour theatres left. They had watched one stupid movie after another and had gorged themselves on nachos and popcorn. It had been so much fun that Emily had hated to see the night come to an end but she knew that if she were to maintain her cover things like this could not happen.

Finally she had been able to talk Sara into returning home. It had not been easy as it seemed that the younger woman was finally starting to relax a little with her. She was letting down that guard and the little jabs had almost completely gone to the way side with the exception of one thing. Both of them had kept up with the nicknames. They were laughing as the motorcycle came to a halt with a slight screech of the tires.

The light to the kitchen was still on and immediately Sara knew this was not a good thing. Quickly she got off the motorcycle handing Emily the spare helmet. Instead of putting them away like she should the soldier set them on the clean cement and followed her young charge into the house. Sure enough it was trouble all right. Mr. Kingston had a glass of what looked like scotch in his hand and already his face was red at seeing his daughter.

Part of Emily knew that as just the cook she knew that this was a family matter and that she should just go up to her room and allow the father/daughter duo to work things out for themselves. But she was partly to blame for the upset on the older man's face. Of course her first thought was wondering what in the blazes he was doing home when last report had him out of the country until at least Monday. "The pictures are already being leaked to the press."

The soldier slipped in and stood behind the petite blond whose hair was cute when it was messed up. _Concentrate you hormonal teenager! Pictures? What pictures. Oh shit! I do remember seeing that little creep with his phone. I was too busy trying to impress the girl. But that was before I was even on the job officially! Oh this is so not good._ Emily trying to show her strength and defiance crossed her arms over her chest.

Finally the older balding man with bad breath noticed that the taller than life woman was standing behind his petite daughter who was shrinking it seemed. Instead of her full height she was now a full four inches shorter. Emily wanted to smack the man for making his daughter feel so small. "You! I thought you were a professional." He took the file he was holding and threw it at her. "We have to cut our trip short because of you two!"

Emily bent down and picked up the folder and the contents that were now strewn across the floor. Sure enough there were pictures of her standing by the door and Sara trying unsuccessfully to talk to her. On the surface they looked harmless enough. That was until you got to the one's that had captions. 'Senator's daughter prefers biker babes'. 'Is senator's daughter gay?' 'Tall dark and dangerous trying to corrupt sweet innocent Sara or is it the other way around?'

The soldier felt an involuntary growl escape from her throat and was pissed off. Not because of what the creep had done selling the pictures to the newspaper. That was part of being rich and famous or a politician. In this case they were all three and that made them that much more newsworthy. What was pissing off the woman was the fact that he was blaming his daughter and her for the bad press. That was not something she would put up with.

Her icy blue eyes startled the senator once she had taken off her sun glasses. She knew it was not her place but she decided to take care of her new friend. "Sara why don't you go to bed? I've been a bad influence on you and kept you out too late." When the blond turned and gave her a questioning look her face turned warm in an instant. "I'll be fine. And don't worry. Grandma will be up in plenty of time to make sure you have a healthy breakfast."

Green eyes were close to tears and it broke the soldier's heart. Again she was mentally cursing the senator. He was about to hear an earful whether he wanted to or not. "Thank you for a wonderful evening. I just wanted to welcome you to the family." She smiled a weak smile. Emily could not prepare herself as the petite blond moved faster than she thought she would be capable of and found herself in one heck of a bear hug. On pure reflex she wrapped her own strong long arms around the smaller woman.

It was almost painful when the feel of the blond left her. A wink from Sara and it made Emily's heart soar just a bit. It was just a hint at her old self coming through and it made her feel good. For a long moment she watched the hypnotic sway of the petite blond's hips swaying back and forth. That made more than her heart soar. It made her entire body come alive. Once again she heard the senator saying something but chose to ignore him until his daughter was out of sight.

When the man raised his voice for the second time she finally turned toward him. The icy blue eyes were back as was the stare. It was a look that had scared enemy soldiers that had been willing to blow themselves up for their country. It made the senator take about four steps back. "I'm not one of your usual employees that you can just rant and rave against and get your way. I'm assigned here as a favor to your friend the attorney general. You cannot hire or fire me so I won't take that kind of crap from you."

As the senator was about to say something Emily decided to continue. The worst thing that happened was that she was reassigned. Even if that happened she vowed right then and there that she would protect Sara with everything that she had whether she was officially allowed to or not. Would she go AWOL just to protect a young woman that she just met? The answer didn't even surprise the soldier as she told herself a definitive yes.

"Furthermore, do you even know that you were going to be away from your daughter on her birthday? It's this Saturday." The senator was trying to say something but all that was coming out of his mouth was hot air. "I'm sorry about the pictures. I didn't even know at that point that she was your daughter or the one I was assigned to. The picture you provided was over five years old. I thought I was in charge of a preteen until I read the file. Your kind disgusts me."

The senator was at the end of his rope and Emily knew it but she wasn't quite through with the portly man just yet. "You have everything but take for granted the one thing that should mean everything to you." The soldier quickly closed the gap that was between her and Mr. Kingston. "Since I am just the cook and have no say in your household these are all just suggestions. But you ever wonder how easy it is to threaten something when you don't take care of it?"

Emily could hear the sputterings of the senator. She heard as he began punching numbers into a cell phone. For a moment, just out of sight, she waited to listen to his side of the phone call. She laughed when she knew he realized that everything that she had said was right. There were only two ways of getting rid of the soldier now that he had treated her and his daughter like crap. The dark haired woman would have to quit which she never quit anything. Or she'd have to be carried out of here in a body bag.


	3. Chapter 3

AN-Hope you are enjoying my latest creation. Any suggestions are welcome as always. This is for my hero my better half. My sweet CS.

Sara had been home ten days now and her parents had actually been there for all that time with the exception of their work and charity events. She flashed back to the two nights before when she had her outing with the new cook. After that night things had changed in her parents or at least her father. After she had gone up the stairs towards her room she had heard raised voices but could not make out what either Emily or her father was saying.

The next morning had found a bright eyed raven haired beauty already in the kitchen making the college student her favorite breakfast which was pecan pancakes and a side of fresh fruit. They tasted suspiciously like her treasured Cynthia's but the older woman had practically guaranteed that she had nothing to do with breakfast other than observing the preparations. The coffee had been to die for as well. So far this new cook was a keeper.

Right now the petite blond was out on her horse. The horse she was on was the little sister of the horse that Emily had been eyeing. While still a spirited horse she was smaller and easier for the blond to handle. She loved the freedom of being out in the open. At one time she had considered competing with the horses but decided against it. She would rather just go out in the open and be by herself and think. Right now she felt she had a lot to think about.

It seemed like every time she turned around Emily was there. It wasn't as if the woman was stalking her or anything. In fact half the time it was the blond that was walking into a room that the dark haired woman was. Still it just felt like she was always watching over her in some way. Part of her liked that very much and part of her was a little creeped out by it especially since it seemed that the tall woman had been standing up to the senator on her behalf.

How she had gotten away with that with no retaliation Sara had no idea. Even when she was younger she could never get away with anything where her father was concerned. As the breeze rushed by her she felt that something was up and no one as usual was telling her the truth. As soon as she got done with her ride she decided that she needed to find Cynthia. While her friend didn't know everything it seemed she always knew more than the younger woman.

After having ridden almost all morning Sara decided that it was time to get back to the house. The birthday party preparations were on the way and she wanted to see what her parents had in mind. It would be the first birthday that they had not missed in three years. Still the petite blond got the feeling that the new cook had something to do with it but that was silly. Especially after being around her the past few days. While they had been at the diner and then the movies she was talkative and fine. But here at the house it was all business and she was a woman of few words.

Sara came across the broken fence that she used to practice her jumps on and cleared it with ease. While a shorter horse than Temperance, Wishbone was still quite the avid jumper and had speed that some of the taller leaner horse could only dream of. The petite blond was almost back to the house when what sounded like shot rang out. It startled the poor Wishbone enough for her to rear. It took all her strength to keep herself in the saddle.

Wishbone was still unsettled and so Sara was stroking her neck and was speaking sweet words into her ear even promising a bushel of apples if she would just calm down. Soon they would be back at the stables and the horse would get a much deserved rub down followed by a brushing. There would be carrots and apples along with oats and plenty of cool water. For a moment it did seem that her blond horse was beginning to calm down.

Again what sounded like a shot rang out. This time there was no calming down Wishbone and she succeeded in throwing Sara to the ground. The horse took off back toward the stables and the petite blond managed not to hit her head as she fell. However she did manage to twist her left knee and she guessed sprain her left wrist as she landed on her left side. Carefully the blond managed to get to her feet. She grumbled to herself thinking it was going to be one long walk with the way her knee was feeling.

Sara had only been walking for about five or ten minutes when the sound of a horse and rider caught her attention. For some reason she decided to hide behind a big willow tree. The horse skidded to a halt almost as if the rider and horse knew already where the blond was. The horse pranced around obviously impatient and wanting to keep going on its jaunt. The petite blond peaked around the side of the tree and was more than surprised to see a tall dark and leather clad figure on Temperance.

The petite blond stepped out from her hiding place and immediately Emily nudged the tall mare over to where her employer was standing obviously a bit shaken. The soldier pushed her dark sunglasses up onto her head and easily dismounted the horse. It took less than one of her long strides to make it over to her charge. Without even examining her she could see that she was holding her left arm and was leaning to her right side favoring the left leg.

"How did you know?" Sara looked into blue eyes that were full of worry and concern. That wasn't all that unusual as most people would most likely feel the same even about a complete stranger. They had now hung out at least once so they were far from complete strangers but still hardly knew anything about one another. To the college student it was almost like this amazing woman had a sixth sense when it came to her. After all she had already saved her once. Now she was coming to her rescue?

Emily didn't say a word for a long time. Instead she took the petite woman's left arm in her strong gentle hands. Carefully she examined the injury satisfied it was not too serious. Still without speaking she knelt down and was examining the entire left leg. There would be bruising and stiffness no question. When she got to the knee even with the most gentle of touches she heard a hiss come from her younger charge. "Looks like you dislocated your knee cap. You'll be fine in a week or two. Might ruin your party. I'm sorry."

The soldier wanted to say that she was sorry that the touching was to end. As soon as she had touched the soft delicate skin of her young charge she had felt something. It was like they had this flow of energy between them and she wondered if Sara could feel it too. It left her for a longing that she knew was not a good thing. And yet it was everything. _Not good thoughts! She is here for your protection only not for your pleasure._

Sara tried to get Emily to look her in the face but it was almost like the taller woman was avoiding her gaze for some reason. _Could she have felt that too? That's silly. There was another more reasonable explanation. Wasn't there? _Of course the fact that she had not answered her question could be the reason behind that. Or was there something else going on in that beautiful brain? The blond decided to go with what she saw and not try and push her new cook and she hoped new friend. "So, you're not going to answer me about how you knew? Or is it like with the pool?"

The soldier finally managed to look into green eyes. These eyes were innocent and full of wonder. These eyes were loving. These eyes were amazing and the slightly older woman felt that they could look right into her soul. Emily blinked a few times. _Gotta be careful doing that. I swear she can look right through me. It's unlike anything I've ever experience before._ "Well, sorta like my lifeguard duties. I was in the stable debating whether I had time for a ride before preparing lunch. Heard some noises so I took off. Then I saw Wishbone rider less so decided to hall a…butt until I found you."

The petite blond noticed that Emily would not look her in the eye after that first few moments of intense staring. Not that she could blame her. There were some strong emotions that Sara had sensed flowing through the taller woman. It was nothing like the college student had ever been privy too. Of course her life had been sheltered compared to how most lived their lives. And yet her life was also so much more complicated than most because of the potential press and other negatives that go along with being rich and a politician's daughter.

While there seemed to be more to the explanation than her new friend was willing to give for now Sara decided to let it go. Besides her knee was beginning to really bother her and she decided to lean on the tree. Emily was by her side in an instant reexamining the knee in question. "It's started to swell. We need to get you back to the house and get some ice on it. A pillow underneath it. I'd say you'll be bedridden for a few days or at least on crutches." The look on the younger woman's face nearly broke her heart so she quickly added, "I'm no doctor and maybe you can use crutches to get around."

Sara smiled. Though she was in a lot of pain and hated the thought of being on crutches or bedridden there was something sweet and gentle about the slightly older woman there seemed to be more behind those blue piercing eyes than she was letting on. It was as if she were reading her mind and knew just how disappointed she was at having to be hurt when they were going to have a big birthday party for her. "Well now. You have been my hero twice now, Grandma. I think I'll have to stop calling you that and call you something else. While I'm thinking of new nickname why don't we get back to the house?"

Emily was nervous at the thought of what nicknames her new friend could come up with. The soldier was not known for her imagination but from what she had read in the file about Sara the woman was quite creative. In fact she had written and starred in a play when she was at Oxford this last year. Of course her parents had not gone having been off somewhere campaigning or raising money or whatever the jerks did. "Sounds like a plan. Ever ride double before?"

The petite blond shook her head in the negative. That caused Emily to sigh. She had hoped to get on Temperance first and then help Sara up with just one arm but if she had never ridden double she might not be able to hold on as well as she needed to. Besides with a bum knee she would not be able to grip the horse as well as she should. "Well the first thing is to get you on the horse. Come on." The raven haired woman made her way to the petite blond.

Instead of just helping to support Sara as she made her way the short distance to the horse Emily decided it would be quicker and easier if she carried her over to the horse. Sara gasped as she was not suspecting to be carried in strong arms. It flashed her to a couple days before when her new friend had done the same. Only this time they were not wet from the pool. The blond could feel the soft leather and below that the thin A-shirt. This made the blonde shiver with what?

Sara blinked trying to push the feelings that she was feeling away. But there was something that was making it impossible for her to ignore the fact that she was in someone's arms that were making her literally tingle all over and not just where their bodies were coming into contact. In fact she realized something. Something that had never happened to her before at least not with simple contact like this. There was a sudden dampness between her legs and it made her take a deep breath to calm herself.

Emily wasn't faring much better. The instant that she began to pick up the smaller woman her heartbeat began to pick up. Her breathing picked up as well and the tingling that surged throughout her entire body and not just where they were touching was unlike anything that the soldier had ever felt. While she had one special love they had never…Nothing in her past was even comparable to this moment and this time and she hated to put her charge down especially when she realized the sensation that was going on between her legs.

Reluctantly the soldier gently placed the petite blond on the saddle. "You ok?" Sara didn't trust herself to speak and so instead she simply nodded. "Good. Now I'm going to get up behind you. I'll be as careful as I can of your left side I promise." True to her word Emily was gentle and just barely brushed against the already bruised left side of the slightly younger woman. "We'll take it as slow as possible." When she had said the words she blushed and was glad that her face could not be seen.

Those words could have double meaning and she knew it. But this was all business and she hoped that Sara knew that as well. It was not her fault that she just happened to be in the right places at the right time to rescue the cute blond twice now. The first time had been hard to explain. The second was easier but she hadn't told the truth at least not the whole truth. The soldier had been in the stables as she said but instead of hearing the shots she had this feeling in her gut.

Already she had been saddling the horse and getting her ready to go after Sara when she had heard the shots ring out. Of course now she had to discuss security even more with not only the senator but her head of security. The way that security was set up now there were only a handful of people that could have gotten on the grounds. And that meant that most likely there was a family member that was involved. Emily sighed at the sad thought that family could be behind this.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

It was late and Emily was in her small room by herself. Between her and Cynthia they had the preparations for the party well under way. It would only take a little tweaking the next day and everything would be all set. Now it was time for the soldier to take on her real job and that was protecting Sara and finding out just who was trying to go after the sweet innocent girl. After getting to know her there was no reason to want to kill her unless there was money or jealousy or the last which could be the worst which would be obsession.

Emily had taken Sara to the emergency room just to have confirmed her own diagnosis. Unfortunately for the blond it did indeed mean that she was going to be on crutches for the foreseeable future. It was better than torn ligaments but it still was bad timing with the party the next day. The soldier felt sorry for the younger woman but there was really nothing she could do about it. While she had many skills instant healing was not one of them.

The soldier had been looking over the logs for the day of visitors as well as the latest threatening e-mails. The e-mails really did seem like it was two or even three different people that were sending them. The wording was so different that it was nearly impossible to think that the same person wrote them all. While Emily was no expert at these kinds of things as she was better at covert surveillance and security but not at having to figure out what some sick freak was doing threatening an innocent girl.

Still she refused to admit that to herself or anyone else for that matter. After all she had learned everything she knew when not knowing a whole lot about anything. Even the cooking she knew little to nothing about cooking and still she had already served several respectable dinners. Granted it had been with Cynthia's help but still she had learned fast. She was intelligent and she would figure this out just as easily if not even easier.

This was how people thought and she was an expert on deciphering how the enemy thought. That gave her a comforting thought. _Why didn't I see it before? Of course I can do this and easily. It's just like what I've done for the past several years. It's just a different format._ That got a small smile out of the raven haired beauty but it was short lived as she continued to flip through the logs of the visitors and to scan the video tapes from the gate.

"What the hell?" Emily began rubbing her temples as there were at least half a dozen delivery trucks were never logged in. There were also two very expensive looking cars that were never logged in either. She wrote down the make and model as well as the license plates. Luckily she had some contacts that could get her the information without having to go through proper channels. She figured that would be for the best to keep everything out of the system as much as possible.

The soldier pulled out her secure cell phone that she locked away in the tiny room. Pressing just a couple buttons her head of security answered. "Robert. This is Emily. You have a major problem with security. We have to find some time to meet and get this taken care of as soon as possible." _Should have had this taken care of before I even set on the grounds. What is it with people? Can't they think for themselves? I know that we are military and follow orders but think for yourself too!_

Emily had to pull the phone away from her ear because of the foul language and the loudness of the voice. The man wasn't so much upset that he was being questioned about how to do his job. The soldier knew it was because she was in charge and she was five years younger than him. She had worked hard to become one of the youngest women at her rank. It wasn't her fault the jackass on the other end of the phone didn't have the brains or the gumption to do the same.

"Calm down!" The loud voice came to an abrupt end. Emily was still rubbing her temples as she was now pacing back and forth in the small room. "I'm not trying to step on your toes." There was some more complaining and the soldier had enough. "Listen up! Sara was hurt today because someone got on the grounds. It could have been family but from the lack of properly writing down who is coming and going we may never know so get your act together. We meet in half an hour." She angrily hit the end button and tossed the phone back into its hiding spot.

Emily snuck out of the house as it was now nearing two in the morning. The day of Sara's big party and how she wished she could get some sleep so she would be able to properly enjoy the day. That got her a mental smack on the back of the head as she once again had to remind herself that this was business. The blond was just another of her assignments nothing more. Even if the soldier wanted more there was no way that could ever happen. Starting out a relationship with lies would mean it would never work.

That was a sobering thought as she pushed her Harley down the driveway and about a mile up the road before she started it. She got a kick when a few lights came on and knew that her roaring motorcycle had disturbed some of the rich and pains in the asses of the neighborhood. Of course some of them could be like Sara. The young woman was down to earth, giving, caring and an amazing. Whack! Whack! Whack!

_What has gotten into you House! You have got to get a grip. This girl is nothing more than your assignment. True she's actually not had a pleasant life. And true you could make her very happy. Augh! There you go again! Just stop it or you'll never be able to protect her properly. You must maintain emotional distance or you'll never be able to protect her._ Emily sighed at the thought. The last thing that she wanted to do was hurt her young charge.

Fifteen minutes later she was roaring into an abandoned warehouse parking lot. There was not even security here which made it the perfect meeting place. Roberts was standing under the one security light that was not broken or burnt out and she cursed the man. She flashed her headlight and waited. It took flashing her lights three times before he got a clue and made his way over to where she was in the darkest corner.

The underling rubbed his eyes and then his goatee. He looked more like a host at a restaurant than an army Special Forces soldier. Of course Emily knew that she really didn't look like one either but that was to her distinct advantage. In the older man's case it was just that he really, in her opinion, didn't belong. "Here's what I found watching the video tapes." Emily shoved the manila folder roughly into the man's hands. "There are also major gaps in security cameras that have to either be made up by more cameras or men at the walls. Either way this place is so poorly staffed Gomer Pyle could get in here."

The man looked at her at the use of such an older term. She only shrugged not wanting to explain that she had watched a lot of TV Land and therefore knew a lot about older television shows. Of course she was usually away from the country and most smaller countries only had outdated television shows. The goateed man poured quickly through the information his boss had gathered and cringed. Everything she said was true. It was something a private just out of boot camp could have seen.

"I'll get on these before five hundred hours. I know we need things settled soon with the party today and all." The man kept glancing through the photos and the sign in sheets not seeing the glare that he was getting from his younger superior. Finally he closed the folder and looked up into ice filled eyes. He had to take several steps back at the menacing look on her face. "What?" He actually held both arms up in mock surrender.

Emily sighed and put one hand to her temple. _He is so nonchalant about this. I wonder if he was this way with all his assignments. That would explain why I'm his superior. I hope you don't screw this up Roberts cause if you do I'll take you out behind the latrine…_Another heavy sigh as the latest of the night/morning was getting to her. "Just do your best if not better. This is like a warzone where innocents and evil doers sometimes blur together. Sara is an innocent."

Roberts eyed his tall commander for a moment. He had heard rumors that she was not interested in men. He could not help but wonder if that was true seeing just how animated she was getting over a simple assignment. It was one that they should not even be assigned to really. The soldier followed his commander's lead and sighed heavily. He put his arms down and clutched the folder tight to his chest. "I haven't had the pleasure of meeting her. I've heard you've had a couple nice meetings with her."

Immediately Emily's eyes narrowed and the icy stare was now shooting ice cycles at the shorter older man. Her hands kept clinching in a fist a releasing trying to get a grip on her anger. Usually nothing or no one could under her skin and yet this little man was. And she knew why. It wasn't him exactly. It was the fact that he was hinting that this was personal and there was no way that this was personal. "I'm just doing my job." The words came through gritted teeth. The soldier straightened to her full height and towered over the man. "I suggest you do the same."

Roberts thought better of goading the woman anymore. If her reputation was even half what he had heard there was no way that he wanted to push the woman. The icicles started to withdraw and the soldier took it as a good time to surrender. He turned on a dime and ran all the way to the car that he had driven. He stumbled more than once in his haste. It made Emily smile a big smile as it took him three tries to realize that his car door was locked.

Emily turned back to her own mode of transportation. _Might have to think about getting a rental for this one. I mean love my little Harley but it makes too much noise for these late night meetings._ She sighed heavily as she got back on the motorcycle and trekked her way back to the house. Once again she walked the long distance from the road to the driveway and then next to the garage. It was now three in the morning and there was a light on in a room.

With a sinking feeling, the soldier knew exactly what room it was. Sara must not been able to sleep. She wondered if it was because of the possible pain that she was in or if it was thoughts of the party. One way would be nice and the other Emily hated to think of. There really wasn't much that she could do about it at this time of hour except to sneak up the back stairs and hope that no one had seen her coming and going.

When she got to her small room she knew that wasn't going to be possible. The door was slightly ajar and now the light by the bed was lit. Her first instinct was to pull the gun that she had hidden in the small of her back. It was hidden there so that no one would find it except in a pat down. There was no way anyone was going to get that close to her and live to tell about it. That brought a smirk to her face which she quickly erased putting on her 'tougher than leather solider' face.

It vanished the instant she saw who was sitting on her bed. Crutches were leaning against the headboard and short blond hair was draped slightly over a face that was the most beautiful face that the soldier had ever seen if she allowed herself to think like that. The thin white material of her night gown revealed that she had been crying as the salty water had sunk into the cotton. Shoulders were slumped and it was obvious that the young woman was once again defeated by something.

Cursing the situation Emily softened her features and slowly made her way into the room making enough noise so that her young friend would hear her. Sara's head shot up at the sound of the taller woman entering the room. Quickly the shorter woman stood and wiped the back of her face with her right hand. Green eyes were bloodshot from crying. There was the sign of crying for several hours and it broke the soldier's heart.

Without even thinking Emily made her way over to the younger woman and engulfed her in a tight hug. She led her back to the bed and they sat for quite a little while just holding one another. It was not in the soldier's realm truly to be comforting when it came to emotional things but for some reason Sara just brought this out in her. Again Captain House was mentally smacking herself for letting emotions, whether they were hers or Sara's, to get the better of her.

"You want to talk about it?" Emily wasn't sure why she had asked the question. It was just that it was late. It was almost time for her to get up and help with the party preparations. All she wanted was to crawl up into bed and get at least a few winks of sleep before the long day that loomed before her. Instead she was offering up her sleeve and her shoulder for emotional support. Yet somehow it felt so right that she could not help herself.

Sara sniffled a few more times before she was able to speak. "I..." The college student nestled herself further onto the shoulder of the cook. "Mom and Dad are going away this morning." The petite blond felt the strong arm that was wrapped around her stiffen. She pulled back to look at a face that showed no emotion. Emily's face was scaring and yet for some reason it was comforting to her as well. The features softened in less than a blink of an eye and a sad smile was on the beautiful face. "I was hoping just for this one day. There's nothing else special the rest of the summer. But today?" She sighed heavily.

Emily was mad. No, she was beyond mad. She was raging. It was taking all that she had to sit there and keep that smile on her face and her arms from stiffening once again. All she wanted to do was to go to the other side of the house and beat the shit of the senator and to talk some sense into his wife. Perhaps the woman was just going along with her husband. Perhaps the senator was trying to show the soldier that it was he who was boss and that she had overstepped.

If that was the reason that the senator was leaving his only daughter on her birthday than she was really angry at herself. The last thing that she would ever want to do was to hurt the girl in her arms. To her the sweet Sara had been hurt enough simply by the upbringing she had to endure. It was funny because she had known other political families in her time of service and they had relatively normal lives and were relatively normal.

It seemed that Sara's family was not what you would classify 'normal' for a lot of reasons. And yet somehow the blond was truly down to earth. The only thing that she had going for her that truly set her apart was her spunk. It was that shamelessly bubbly and flirting personality that was probably a defensive or coping mechanism. Whatever it was when she had it going Emily knew that she was all right. But when she was more reserved or obviously like she was now she was not.

"I'm sorry." To Emily it sounded really lame. But what did you say when someone's parents would rather leave the country trying to raise money for an upcoming political campaign? _I'd like to beat the tar out of them for you? I'd like to somehow make them see what exactly it is that they are doing to their only child?_ The soldier sighed and hugged the girl closer. That was when she felt Sara's hands begin to wander to places that they should not wander.

"Sara?" Without her permission Emily felt her breathing picking up and it startled her. She knew that she was getting very turned on just by the simple proximately of the two. Now that hands were roaming freely, her body was reacting even more. _Hands! Hands in familiar and good places making me feel…_She had to put a stop to this and she had to put a stop to it now. But it felt so good and it felt so…Right? Without waiting for a response from the younger woman the soldier carefully disengaged herself from her charge.

It took a moment for Sara to realize what had happened. She had been feeling so vulnerable and the kindness that she got from a practical stranger, though truthfully her friend had been turned in her mind into something else. It wasn't the first time that she had acted this way but it had been almost a year. Cursing under her breath she grabbed her crutches and made her way toward the door. _Haven't you learned by now? You almost lost your virginity because of your need for contact. Because you confuse simple comfort for something more._

Never having seen or heard the dark haired woman move she was surprised to see that Emily was blocking her graceful retreat. Sara could not look the taller woman in the eye so decided that her right crutch was all that she needed to look at. "I'm sorry. I used to, um, well I'm a very huggy touchy person. I forget sometimes that I'm supposed to keep my distance. I'll try and not let it happen." The one thing that the young woman was missing in all this was the one thing that she actually deep down hoped for. Emily had been reacting to her touch and in a way that she had been hoping for. They were both physically attracted to one another but the emotions that Sara was fighting had her miss that extremely important little detail.

As gently as she could, Emily placed two fingers under her young friends chin. Part of her wanted to tell her that she wasn't sorry that she had been touched that way. Part of her wanted to tell her that there was a big part of her that wanted to pick her up and carry her to the bed and show her just how much her touch had affected her. But this was neither the time nor the place. The soldier's heart broke a little as she admitted that there may never be a time or place for that.

Slowly and cautiously Emily lifted the petite blond's head so that they were looking one another in the eye. Green eyes were so sad and blue ones held all the understanding in the world. That look alone got a sad smile on Sara's face. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You are very upset. I would be too if my parents were going to miss the one special day of the summer that I came home to see them for. You just wanted to know that someone felt something for you."

The soldier hesitated for only a moment, probably should have been longer, before she continued. It was in a barely audible whisper but still the blond heard her. "I care." It was something that any person out of boot camp would know not to say. It was something that the greenest of recruit would know should not even be entertained let alone said out loud. And yet the raven haired beauty just crossed two lines. She admitted to herself and to her charge that she cared. Quickly she amended, perhaps too quickly, "As a friend I truly care for you."

Whether it was too quickly or if it was just right or whether Sara even noticed the rushed way that it was said it had the desired effect. Awkwardly the petite blond managed to hug the taller woman. It wasn't easy with her still holding onto both crutches. But the kind words had meant the world to her and she wanted to carefully show it remembering where it had almost led just a few moments ago. There were fresh tears in her face but this time they were from happiness. "Thanks. I needed to know that. Maybe you can come to the party as more than just the cook?"

Emily smiled at the petite blond. With just those few words she had done something to the younger woman and to the soldier it appeared that once again her friend was almost back to herself. It was well worth it if she was to have endured crossing a line that never should be crossed. There were no exceptions to the rule and yet slowly the raven haired beauty was learning that Sara was the exception to everything.

"I'd like that but I think Cynthia will keep me too busy. Want me to help you get to your room?" After Sara shook her head no, reluctantly the taller woman slid out of the doorway and watched as Sara hobbled down the hall. Only a little ways down she turned and winked at the older woman. Both women smiled at the act and Emily could not keep her eyes off from the woman as she hobbled off toward the family bedrooms. The soldier quickly reentered her room and shut the door quietly behind her.

If the soldier had been tired before she was now totally exhausted. Emotions were not something that she was used to dealing with. Emotions were something that she shoved way down deep never to let escape. And yet there were a lot of emotions that had exploded between her and her charge. It was not safe. It was not prudent. It was not wise. And yet it was the first thing that she had done in a long time that felt completely right.

Quickly Emily got undressed not even bothering to put on night close. She slid under the covers the coolness of the cotton sheets emphasizing her overheated body. Her mind was on one thing and one thing only. Her mind was on how her body had felt when Sara's hands had begun to wander. In that moment of time she had felt so truly alive that it was not even funny. It was the first time in a long time that she felt…Complete? That was silly but it was also the truth. Somehow it was like Sara was the other half of her that she had waited a lifetime to find. The sad truth was that she could never ever be with her.

Meanwhile Sara had finally managed to get to her room. It had been a bit of a struggle as she had only been on the crutches the one day. _Perhaps I should have taken Emily up on her offer to help. _This brought a slight blush to her cheeks or was it the over exertion from the difficult trek. She leaned her hated crutches against the nightstand and crawled into bed. The bed felt empty and cold as it did most nights. Her parents had gotten her a huge king size bed and it was for one person. It really made no sense. What did make sense to the young blond were the feelings she was having for Emily.

The petite blond had realized it the first night that they had met at the diner. It had been reaffirmed how many times now as their paths kept crossing. The tall strong woman had even saved her life once and helped her out of trouble another time. They had spent what she almost considered a date together and knew that the cook had stood up to her father. While she could not hear the words she knew the tone of voice. It was the first time anyone had stood up to her father since both her grandparents had died.

The emotions were something that came so easily to the blond and yet were hard for her to express. Usually she was just a flirty girl that wasn't taken seriously. While she was doing this with Emily there was something more and she knew that the slightly older woman could sense it too. Yet she had moved away from her so quickly when hands had wandered into places they should not. Though the blond had little experience in the romance department she knew when someone was attracted to her.

So now the blond had to figure out some things. Friendship was a good place to start between her and the cook. But that was just a beginning. If she had her way by the time that the summer was over she would have her first serious girlfriend. By the time that the summer was over she would have her first serious romance. By the time summer was over she would have her first and hopefully last lover. Because it just felt right between them like they had been destined to find one another. Who were they to fight destiny?


	4. Chapter 4

Emily's eyes were burning they were so tired. While she hated feeling this exhausted it had, in her opinion, been worth it. While still not thrilled with herself for crossing that invisible line that she had put up when it came to her assignments she was still happy that she had comforted her new friend. And that's exactly what Sara quickly had become. It wasn't good in the sense that getting too close to someone that she was protecting was good but at the same time it felt good as a person to have an actual friend and one that was her own age.

The water was cold that was beating down on her groggy head in hopes that it would help to wake her up to face the long day that she had ahead. Usually it would clear her mind and get her ready for what lie ahead but in this case it was just making her cold. A thought of Charlene had entered her mind when she had thought about Sara as her friend. True the older woman was her friend but the petite blond represented something else. She represented a chance at friendship and hopefully no strings attached.

_Now that would be something else._ Emily turned off the water figuring that she had wasted enough of the liquid substance in trying to get her mind as well as body going. That was something that a run would fix as well but there was no time. The soldier had slept heavy trying to cram as much into three hours of sleep as she could. Sighing the tall raven haired beauty slipped into her cook's outfit. It was different from the one that she had packed with her. It entailed tight fitting dress slacks, a crisp white colored button cotton shirt and a black vest.

The soldier carefully put her hair up into a bun and decided to get the morning going. The smell of coffee gratefully came from the kitchen which meant that the older cook was there as well. Emily thankfully took the offered black brew from Cynthia and sat in front of the dry toast and bowl of fruit that her mentor had fixed so nicely for her. The older woman sat directly across from her at the very small kitchen table.

The pair ate in silence for several minutes before the older cook decided that it was time that she broach a subject that needed to be talked about. "I know where you were last night." Emily almost choked on the piece of toast that she had been working on. "Or should I say this morning." Cynthia shook her head indicating a great deal of disappointment in the entire situation. "I guess I should have told you about Sara."

Emily took a couple swallows of her thankfully cooled coffee before she managed speech. _Damn! I thought she was talking about my meeting with Roberts. I wonder if she was watching me or watching Sara? Just means I have to be very quiet from now on and very careful. _"Told me what?" _If you are talking about the fact that she acts tough but is very vulnerable I already know that. If you are talking about the fact that she is gay well guess what. So am I. And that is very dangerous. More dangerous than just simple friendship that's for sure._

"There are two things you should know about my Lil Peanut." Emily smiled inwardly to herself at the adorable nickname the older woman had for the petite blond. Outwardly she kept that poker face on that she was so good at maintaining. "You've probably already guessed that she is…" The older cook searched for the right words. "Hurt easily." Cynthia smiled heavily. "Her parents, well father mostly, have seen to that."

The soldier nodded in agreement. She was not sure what all she should say to the woman sitting across from her. After all this was going into that grey area once again where it concerned her charge. While in some ways the more that she knew about her target or her charge the better it was. But in some cases that could prove just as dangerous. In this case she was afraid that it would prove emotionally dangerous for both of them.

Cynthia watched her new employee carefully. There was something that seemed hidden by the tall dark haired woman. While she had already been a good friend and saved her Lil Peanut's life there was something not quite totally honest about her. Sighing heavily she decided to continue. "I don't want to offend you by what I say next but I think it needs to be said because of how I've seen Sara look at you and how you've already seemed to become friendly with her. Sara is gay."

Emily wanted to burst out laughing. Not because the older woman cared so much about her employer but because of the irony. Somehow the soldier managed to keep that blank face that had been drilled into by the military but also by her brother. "Why would I be offended?" The younger woman took a sip of her coffee giving herself time to think of what she should say if anything at all. "I have gay friends. And I'd be flattered if Sara was attracted to me. Whether gay or not I am her employee and I would never engage in inappropriate behavior."

The older cook studied the raven haired woman. While she appeared to be telling the truth it was only a half truth. She was convinced once again that there was something more to the woman sitting across from her than met the eye. Whatever it was she was an expert at hiding her feelings and pretty much everything else about herself. Still this was the little girl that she had watched grow up from the preemie baby to the amazing young woman she was now. There was no way she was going to let anyone hurt her.

"Well that's good to know." Cynthia took a moment to sip her coffee. She had to push the envelope just a little bit more. "Because I wanted to make sure that her coming out of your room in the middle of the night was not appropriate behavior." If Emily had anything in her mouth it would have sailed across the room. A huge blast of air hit the older woman. _I can shock you. That is a good thing. _"I trust that that kind of behavior will not be repeated."

Before Emily could respond she heard the sound of crutches coming down the stairs. She turned to see the petite blond that was the subject of their conversation. While she knew that Sara had not gotten anymore sleep than she had the woman looked stunning. She was wearing a designer pair of form fitting black jeans that had gold designs on the back pockets. There were also little bows at the bottom of the pant legs. A red silk shirt hugged the curves of the blond and had a deep plunging V-neck that teased showing just enough cleavage to make you want, no crave, more.

The younger cook just sat there staring. The short blond hair was layered just right and had a great deal of volume to it. There were shiny off white pearl earrings adorning the very bite able earlobes. A matching necklace was long and loose enough that it went just below the V-neck helping to draw the eyes to that particular wonderful location of the young blond. A matching bracelet adorned her right hand and an expensive white banded watch was on the left.

Cynthia watched, not her young employer but instead the woman that had just vowed there was nothing possible to happen between them. One brief look at Emily and any idiot would know that the younger cook was not only attracted to the petite blond she was wanting her too. There was a huge difference and it saddened the older woman. Saddened because she knew that nothing could ever come out of a relationship between an employee and an employer. She after all should know firsthand.

Emily finally managed to pull her libido out of hyper drive and back into a still pulsating state. It was enough for her to turn away from the vision of a woman and back to the concerned older woman. Cursing herself as she knew just by one look of Cynthia that she had given away her physical attraction she tried to cover things up so in a voice that was just barely above a whisper she said, "It won't happen again. While you may guess that I am so inclined in that way, though only one or two people know that, I would never jeopardize my job or take advantage of someone that is vulnerable."

Cynthia knew that Sara would be in the kitchen in just a couple moments but took the time to study the sincere blue eyes that were staring at her. Staring wasn't even the right word. The woman was boring a hole into the other woman her gaze was so steady and unrelenting. It took her almost too long to form a response to what she was just informed of. Her voice matched that of the younger cook when she spoke. "Well I'll keep your secret as long as you can maintain some kind of professionalism. I don't want Sara hurt by…" The woman trailed off as the woman in question had just entered the kitchen.

Sara's green eyes were a little red because of lack of sleep. Other than that she was the picture of beauty. She had heard what Cynthia had been saying. Part of her assumed it was the fact that her parents had left once again. But there was a tension in the room. It wasn't so bad that you could cut through it but there was still something hanging in the air. Green eyes went from one woman to the other trying to figure out what was going on. "Hurt how? And by whom?"

The soldier could see the panic beginning to set into the older woman. But in the time it took Cynthia to panic it took the soldier's lightning fast mind to form an explanation. "Well you of course." Without looking Emily could feel the daggers that the older woman was shooting her way. It made her smile inwardly but kept that straight laced look upon her face. "Well hurt by the fact that your parents left you. It must be hard not having them here. I'm sorry."

The petite blond once again looked at her lifelong friend and her new friend. There was something more, she felt than either were letting on but for now decided she would let it go. Besides both women knew just how upset she had been when she found out that her parents had decided to once again abandon her and on a special day. _If Emily is here at Christmas she'll see it again I'm sure. Well that's if I even come back from school. Of course there is one reason I'd come back._ "A good cry and I'm over it. Besides it's time to party, isn't it?"

The clock on the microwave just clicked to 7:03. Emily looked at her younger friend and could not help but smile. _It's going to be hard to keep these smirks off my face I'm afraid. There is something about her that just gets to me. Deep down to where no one has ever touched me before. Could that be my very soul?_ The soldier shook her head to clear that thought away though it would explain a few things. "Well the old saying is that it's five o'clock somewhere so I guess it's time to party."

Sara smiled at the raven haired beauty. "I knew there was something I liked about you." _Besides the body to die for, the Harley, the bad girl image and just being an amazing and sweet person. Yeah there are a lot of things to like about you Miss House. And I'm going to keep digging until I know all there is to know about you my friend._ "I take it we're having a light breakfast." The petite blond hobbled on her crutches over to the table and sat with her two employees.

In movement so fast that it was actually a blur to the two women sitting there trying to keep up, Emily was out of her chair and had the same breakfast made that she had just consumed herself. A fresh cup of coffee was poured. Two sugars and just a splash of creamer were added before the plate, bowl and cup were placed in front of the petite blond. As if an afterthought, Emily made her way out to the little greenhouse that she had explored the day before. It might be read the wrong way but at the moment the soldier didn't care.

The tall woman returned with a single pink rose. Already she had a vase set aside for the fragrant bloom and had it sitting in front of the birthday girl. Again not being able to control herself she winked at the shorter woman before clearing her and the older cook's breakfast dishes. Quickly she washed the dishes and dried and put them away. A conversation had started between the two women and Emily went about making preparations for the day.

What she was really trying to do was ignore the stares that were warming the very core of her being. Every once in a while she would hear Cynthia having to repeat a question or simply get Sara's attention. The petite blond was, the soldier knew, ravishing her with her eyes and not carrying that the older woman saw the whole thing. The libido that she had tried so hard to keep in check was now going full force. If it kept up she was going to have to go take a cold shower.

The way that Emily was feeling she was not sure that even a cold shower would help at this point. In fact she decided that the kitchen was the last place that she was needed and finished up with decorating the cake. Shockingly once again she had learned and learned fast just how to do something that was actually quite simple and yet complicated at the same time. The tall woman took pride in everything she did so it left her with a good feeling that she had learned this from Cynthia. But it was very important for Emily to make the cake extra special for Sara.

Quickly she put the cake into the large refrigerator and made her way into the living room. While most of the decorations had already been placed there were a few that still needed to be hung. There were also a few out by the pool as the party was to go between the indoors of the living room and the indoors of the pool and the hot tub. Emily was busy hanging the banner wishing her employer a happy birthday when she heard a familiar voice.

"It's crooked." Emily almost stumbled from the step ladder that she was on. Emily wondered how Sara had snuck up on her it was a first for her. Even if she had it was only two steps up. Still it was funny watching the normally graceful tall woman's arms flailing trying not to fall. Sara tried to stifle the chuckle that she felt coming from her gut. She was only partially successful. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." The petite blond hobbled the rest of the way into the living room finally resting on the overstuff oversized couch. A groan escaped her as she allowed her abused body to rest. "I don't know how anyone uses these things for any period of time."

Now it was Emily's time to smirk slightly. "I've never had to use them but I'm sure they would be quite terrible to use." The soldier turned back to her task. The scents of the kitchen had overshadowed the wonderful smelling perfume that the petite blond was wearing. Now that they were in the living room and away from the flowers and the food and everything it was like there was this invisible hand that was tickling the tall woman's nose with one of if not the most enticing perfumes she had ever smelled.

Of course the soldier was not all that familiar with perfumes. As a soldier she would not wear them. As a single woman she hardly if ever went on a date. Even when she went out it was to places like the diner and wearing perfume just felt like overkill. She had on one occasion given Charlene some. That of course had sent mixed signals that the raven haired beauty had spent months trying to rectify. _That was why giving the rose was stupidity you moron._

Sara was enjoying the view almost too much to have heard what Emily had said. The tight black dress pants just seemed to hug the raven haired beauty's butt and hips just right. The curves were definitely accentuated instead of being hidden. While the vest and stuffy white shirt attempted to hide the curves of the cook there was no way they could hide those more than perfect breast. It took everything in the birthday girl to respond. "Well they are. I'm going to hate to hobble around all day on them."

Emily managed to get the banner straight before turning around to look at her friend. The petite blond had a dreamy look on her face and the soldier instantly knew what that look was and why she had it on her face. _Trouble. This is going to be trouble. You are in hell. A nice kind of hell with a beautiful blond…think unsexy thoughts!_ "Sorry that I can't do anything other than what I am for you. I have to go and check on…"

Before Emily could finish her thought Sara was getting to her feet. She stood so that the taller woman was only a mere inches away from her. "Look, this is silly. I know I said I would back off last night but it shows on your face and the way your breathing picks up when I am near just how attracted you are to me." The soldier's body betrayed her by doing exactly what the petite blond had just said. "We don't have to act on the attraction but why are we acting like it's not there?"

The soldier blinked several times. It was rare that she was around someone that was this direct. A part of her loved it. A part of her was terrified by it. All in all the raven haired beauty was on emotional and sexual overload. It was not a state that she had really ever been in. _What if I admit it? Would that really be such a bad thing?_ Emily took a deep breath trying to get her breathing and her libido under control. _Since when do I have such a raging libido? I can usually calm it down by just deep breathing._

One look at the petite blond and her delicate lady parts were burning once again. Her breathing was almost as raged as if they had shared a passionate kiss. _What they hell? What is this girl doing to me and just by being so close? What would happen if we…Oh don't even go there soldier girl. You have got to get a grip on your body._ Emily thought back to one of the first things she learned in special ops training.

Finally Emily's breathing and body overall began to do what she wanted it to do. Even when the scent of Sara's perfume assaulted her nose she was able to keep her breathing and her libido under control. It was not going to be easy to keep doing what she had done but if she had to do it every day, every minute or even every second she would do so. Now she had to answer her friend. Truth? "I will admit that you are very beautiful. And perhaps in a different place or time we could be more than friends. But all I can offer is friendship." _For now…_

It was as if Sara heard 'for now'. Was it a look that Emily gave away? Was it wishful thinking on the petite blond's part? Whatever the reason for the college student was now determined more than ever to someday soon be more than friends with her tall dark and beautiful cook. "If you say that all you want is friendship I can live with that." The petite blond turned and began to walk out. She turned and looked over her shoulder to discover that the cook was ogling her ass. "But I still say that you are fooling yourself." She winked and left an opened mouth Emily standing there.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The party was just now starting to wind down. It had mostly been people Sara's age though a few of her father's associates had stopped in to show their support for the senator. They had mostly left when the party had made its way to the pool and the hot tub. Besides the birthday girl's cousins and friend Megan from England there had been mostly people that the petite blond didn't know and felt a little uncomfortable. The late arrival of Edward had really surprised her and almost made her feel creeped out. Not that she would let on to that fact as she was as ever the generous hostess.

Emily had tried to keep out of the younger woman's way for the day for several reasons. One she was still trying to recover from what had happened earlier. The unprofessionalism that she had allowed to show was so unlike her her head was still reeling. Even if she weren't on a protection detail and just the cook it still would have been horrible how she let it slip so far. Part of it was the unexpected almost instant connection between them. But mostly it was a libido that the soldier really didn't know she had until she saw the blond woman.

The other reason was she was trying to get a guest list and run down all the names using her very expensive phone that a simple cook shouldn't have so she tried to keep it well hidden. As she was watching the security monitors that she had linked to her phone and cursed soundly. Roberts had how many hours and still hadn't fixed the problems. Worse the inflow of traffic for the party was being handled much like it had been before her arrival.

_Gonna have to go to the general on this I guess. There is no way that the security should be this poor. True he only had a week to get ready but ridiculous that it is still this bad._ Emily jammed the offending phone and hiding the repulsive images in her back pocket before going back to the kitchen for more refreshments. The alcohol was, she was glad to notice, not freely flowing. In fact there were only the cousins and a couple others that were consuming beer like there was no tomorrow.

Emily loaded up the tray with several already chilled cans of various flavored sodas and of course some more of the beer. As soon as she walked into the indoor swimming area the soldier wished she had not. While there were a few bikini clad women there was one that caught her eye and she stood frozen for the longest of moments. Luckily before she was caught ogling the petite blond in a very revealing yellow string bikini that had white polka dots on it someone jumped into the pool. The splash caught the soldier and woke her up enough to continue on to what she was supposed to be doing.

Sara caught her eye as she was floating on one of those inflatable lounge chairs. The petite blond winked at her friend and kept her eyes steadily on her. Emily did her best to hide her emotions. Somehow when it came to the birthday girl there was no hiding what she felt and it disturbed her just a little. And in a way it made her feel good as well. In fact the soldier put a little extra sway in her hips as she made her way to the outdoor bar area.

Emily smiled when she heard Sara having to be called more than one time. _I don't like to play games, little girl but if you insist I can be so better at it than you. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to encourage you. But at the same time I'm not going to let you know you are getting under my skin that easily._ The soldier went about putting the drinks in the little mini fridge. There was a tall stool used by a bartender she assumed and sat watching the party some more.

Her phone buzzed in her back pocket and took it out hiding it under the backside of the bar. Roberts had finally responded to her many e-mails inquiring what the hell had happened with security. All he responded was that it was Saturday and there was no one willing to come to the house. _Bullshit you puny little pipsqueak! The Army is seven days twenty four hours and three hundred sixty five days a year. Anything you needed would have been provided by them._ Quickly she forwarded the offending e-mail to the general.

The soldier sighed and was about to put away her phone when another beep alerted her to an incoming e-mail. She had directly linked her phone with not only the security at the house but the e-mail account that had been receiving the threatening e-mails. Of course the senator was unaware of this and it made her smile at what he would think if he knew. The smile quickly faded as she read what the message said. 'I see you like to reveal your body you slut. I'll reveal more than that when I'm done with you.'

A voice caused her to quickly cover her phone with a towel. It was one of the few males that had showed up at the party. He had an English accent and Emily knew that this was the duke that was going to school with the birthday girl. "I do apologize for interrupting if it was something important." The soldier simply smiled shyly at the man. "I was hoping that I could have a beer if it is not too much trouble." The tall woman quickly got one of the foreign darker brews and handed it to the slightly younger man. "Why thank you! That is indeed a brand I do treasure." He nodded his thanks once again and turned back to the party.

Emily took a breath and was about to return to the information she had received when a familiar voice caused her to look up once again. Sara was still in her skimpy bikini but now had a towel wrapped around her waist unfortunately hiding her well-shaped hips and partially obscuring her abs. The cook quickly got the soda out of the mini fridge and poured it into a clean glass with some ice. "Here you go, birthday girl." Their hands grazed one another and the cook almost dropped the glass.

Sara felt the tremble that went through the slightly older woman's hand keeping her own trembles from showing through somehow. _I knew it! You can hide it all you want. You can protest all you want. You are so into me it's not even funny. Why won't you admit it and allow yourself to act on it?_ The petite blond instead of pushing things decided that she needed to back off just a little bit. "Thanks, friend. I hope you get to enjoy yourself sometime today. You've earned it."

The soldier was almost disappointed when all that Sara did was smile shyly at her. There was no wink. There was no big smile. There was no swaying of the hips or 'accidentally' losing her towel. All there was was one person walking away as if they were nothing more than two people that were barely more than strangers. For a moment the raven haired beauty stared after the blond. Her emotions were all over the place. She knew this was for the best but truly missed the flirting.

Shaking her head she finally got her out of the new funk that had suddenly come over her. _Snap out of it House! This is how things are supposed to be._ Once again she sighed heavily and uncovered her phone. There was an attachment with the threatening e-mail. It took every ounce of her will and every bit of her training to cover up the sudden flow of hate that was now flowing through every fiber of her body. She knew it was unprofessional her feelings but this was more than she had bargained for.

The picture that slowly materialized on her phone made her want to throw up. The picture was of Sara in the bikini she was now wearing. It was obviously from just an hour or so ago. That was disturbing enough. The editing made the usually unflappable soldier want to lose what little lunch she had eaten. The picture was of a slashed and scarred and badly bruised petite blond. While it was obvious that it was a faked photo it still made the soldier's skin crawl.

Quickly she forwarded the e-mail to the general, Roberts and her contact that she had at the FBI. This was turning into something more than a simple protection detail. Secret service or the FBI should be handling this with the kinds of resources that they had readily at their hands. While the army had their own investigating unit it was nothing like the larger government agencies. Taking a few breaths she put the phone back in her pocket a plan that no one including herself would like was forming. Well there was one person that might like it. Until the truth was revealed that is.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

It was now well past midnight. Emily was finishing helping the cleaning staff get the house back in its every day condition. Cynthia was sitting at the kitchen table watching the younger members of the household staff work away envying the energy that they somehow managed. She was sipping a bit of herbal tea as she watched all the things going on around her. As the clock struck one in the morning, the rest of the staff retired for the evening.

That left the slightly older cook and the slightly younger one. Emily looked quite nervous about something. She was not sure what was up with the dark haired woman but she knew that there was something that was eating away at her. While only knowing her about a week she had found that the younger cook was able to hide her feelings almost expertly except when it came to Sara. And that fact disturbed the woman more than she could say. "Long day."

It was a statement of truth but it was also a jab against the previous morning when Cynthia had caught Sara coming out of the younger woman's bedroom. Bright blue eyes captured the hazel ones. In that moment of exchange it seemed a lot of things were exchanged without a word. The soldier decided that it was time. "You probably have guessed by now I'm no cook." The woman chuckled softly. "I'm actually a Special Forces soldier. I was called in to protect Sara from some threatening e-mails. I think that won't be possible unless I am close to her as much as possible."

Hazel eyes widened in comprehension. Comprehension of the fact that her child was in danger, that this woman before her was dangerous and that she was basically telling her that she was going to start dating her little girl and most likely in the end she was going to end up breaking her heart. But it was all in the line of duty. It was all part of the job. Cynthia sighed heavily knowing that one day something like this might happen because of the bastard that had a nerve to be Sara's father.

The soldier waited to see if she got a response. When there was none forthcoming she knew that she had literally shocked the older woman speechless. The younger woman understood completely. She was shocked that this was now her plan. The raven haired beauty had been fighting so hard to keep her distance. Even Sara had seemed to get it and had been backing off. The rest of the party had been her with her friends and only engaging a little with the tall woman.

"I'll keep you in the loop and let you know what's going on." Cynthia nodded most likely she was still in shock. Emily took the older woman's hand in her own. Blue eyes met once again with hazel ones. "I'm sorry about this. I will do everything in my power not to let her get hurt." She swallowed before she continued. "Both mentally and physically." It pained the soldier when those caring hazel eyes turned away from her but she understood.

Emily stood and made her way up the winding staircase and to her room. She had only had about two hours sleep in the past twenty four and wanted nothing more than to pass out on the bed. A light from under her door let her know that was not going to be possible. Although if it was who she thought it was it could work to her advantage. The solider opened the door and sure enough the petite blond was sitting on the bed of the cook.

"Fancy meeting you here." Sara's eyes were reddened from crying. Without even thinking about it, Emily was by her side. A strong hand was holding a smaller but almost equally as strong hand. "I know I'm not supposed to be here. I know that we are not supposed to be more than employer/employee but after what happened I needed to talk to someone. And the only other person I feel comfortable with is Cynthia. And about this, I'm not very comfortable."

The soldier simply pulled the girl into a hug. It was amazing how the smaller woman just seemed to fit like she belonged. Their curves and bodies in general just seemed to click with one another. _This is a dangerous plan, House. You are not only messing with her heart but you are messing with your own. This will hurt you both in the end._ "Tell me. I'm here for you. Remember I said we could possibly be friends so why not start now."

Arms were wrapped around her but this time it was like a need for a life preserver and not something sexual. "The party was going so well." Sara sniffled and tunneled even deeper into the stronger woman's arms. "My knee wasn't even hurting that bad. I mean I did take a couple pain pills but overall it was going good." A soft squeeze gave the woman courage enough to continue. "That was when Janice, my father's secretary, showed up. She, um. Well she's just a little older than you and well she cornered me…"

Emily stiffened at the thought of where this conversation was going. _Had she tried getting in good with the boss' daughter? Wouldn't she figure that this would get her fired? There was no way that the senator would want his daughter outted. It would embarrass him to no end._ Taking a deep breath to keep herself as calm as possible the raven haired beauty asked the simple question. "What did she do that made you so upset, sweetheart."

The term of endearment didn't go unnoticed by the petite blond. She pushed it aside for a moment so that she could finish her tale. "She kissed me. I know that doesn't sound that bad but we were in my father's office." Emily had been in the room. There was a long couch that could double as a bed it was so wide and long. "She um, well she pushed me back on the couch and well it took all I could muster to push her off from me."

Before the soldier knew what she was doing she had Sara's face held in both her strong hands. It wasn't roughly and the petite blond was not scared at all. In fact she felt very safe in this room and in the woman's embrace. "Did she hurt you?" The college student managed to shake her head to indicate the negative even against the almost overwhelming strength in the hands that held her still. "Good. Otherwise I would have had to hurt her." The venom in the soldier's voice surprised Sara to no end.

Sara was even more surprised, no this time the best word would be shocked when Emily slowly lowered her head so that they were mere inches apart. Their breath was intermingling and it made the petite blond's heart start to pound so loudly that it was blocking out all sound. It took a moment and several attempts by the soldier to get the woman to hear her. The raven haired beauty was asking if this was all right. She was actually asking for permission.

The petite blond's head was still captured between callused but gentle strong hands. Green eyes were lost in blue eyes. It wasn't quite love that shown back from those eyes but it was something close. There was definitely caring and concern. No one had ever looked at her like that. Not even her mother or the one that she felt was most like her parent and that was Cynthia. Swallowing several times she nodded her permission.

The kiss was not what Sara had been expecting. It was so gentle and teasing and more than her feeble mind could describe in words. She was lost in the touch of her lips on the cook. This, she felt, was her first true kiss. This was how a kiss was supposed to feel. That was when things got a little more intense. That was when Emily's tongue gently rubbed against the petite blond's slightly parted lips. Offering all of herself, at least the parts she could with a kiss, she opened her mouth and moaned as the other woman's strong tongue claimed her mouth.

While some could and would say it was in a possessive way that Emily's tongue explored the younger woman's mouth to the cook it was anything but. It was simply a way for her to make a connection to the woman that was, she knew, her love. The love that she had been waiting a lifetime for. And now with this simply act of comfort she had crossed the line that she had first vowed not to cross. But now she knew she had to or she would not be able to protect her to the best of her abilities.

It never surprised her when Sara finally got over the initial shock of the kiss and started to assert herself into the kiss. In fact it made Emily's heart soar and break at the same time. Finally she pulled back and looked into eyes there were so filled with desire that she had to take several gulps of air. "I want us, if we are going to do this, to take things slow." Sara stiffened a little in her arms but then a smile was upon her face. "I've…"

What Sara had assumed the slightly older woman was going to say was something about never being in a serious relationship so she stilled the lips with a gentle kiss. Emily was giving more than her heart and if things were not able to work out between the two down the road she would be devastated. If they ever consummated the relationship then it would cost her the gift you are supposed to give to someone you love. Maybe it wouldn't be in vain but if only the petite blond knew that both of them had never experienced physical love it would have changed things. It should have for the soldier and yet…


	5. Chapter 5

Emily had gotten a response from her e-mail about the abrupt change in her relationship with one Sara Kingston. That was why, just after breakfast had been served, she was summoned to the large house that the general now resided in. It was his wife's family home and he always kept it just in case he was ever stationed in Washington, DC. The young soldier had been to the house but only on rare occasions. She wished that it was under better circumstances that she was seeing it once again.

As she was about to knock on the door it opened up. A petite but robust woman was standing there. Here hair had at one time been a vibrant red but now it had faded with time as well as the peppering of some dark gray hair. Though she was a little on the heavier side she looked amazing still and her dark brown eyes almost danced with mischief taking away some of her years. "Well look what the cat dragged in. I know you can't talk about it with me but I know you've been naughty. He hasn't stopped pacing since he summoned you here."

The soldier shifted her weight nervously. There were very few people that intimidated the young woman. The general was number one on that list especially when she knew that she had thrown out just about every rule there was. It was time that she faced the consequences and faced whatever wrath that her father figure would have for her. "I know. I just hope he doesn't get too mad at me. I'd never forgive myself if we lost…" She trailed off not knowing how exactly to classify their relationship.

"Never fear. He'll always love you like a daughter." Jessica took a larger rougher hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. The older woman turned and without saying anything began to walk along the long hallway. She knew that Emily would fall in behind her without having to say a word. It was what a good soldier did and from what her boss had told her over the years she was one if not the best he'd ever trained. All that the red haired woman saw was an amazing woman and the daughter that her boss never was fortunate enough to have.

The house was larger than Emily had remembered it had been so long. Oh she had been at their other houses over the years but the general had only purchased this house a several months ago. The raven haired woman thought that it was in anticipation of the general's retirement or possibly it was to remain close to his wife that had passed away too short time ago. He only had two more years left until mandatory retirement a thought that saddened her and made her wonder about re upping when her contract was up. But what would she do if she wasn't a soldier?

The feelings she was starting to have for Sara and how complicated the whole situation was getting weren't helping matters. Part of her wanted to sign on the dotted line for another six years just to get away from the situation. But another part of her wanted to know what the soon to be sophomore had to say about her future plans. That was something that shouldn't come into play and yet it seemed to be a major factor in just how she wanted to plan her life.

Finally they stopped after having passed at least four doors two on either side. The smell of pipe tobacco was clear and she smiled to herself. While she was not a drinker and not a smoker she enjoyed the smell of pipe tobacco. It had a minty smell to it and just reminded her of the years she'd spent with the general and his wife. "Just to let you know, I feel the same about you. That you are the daughter that I never had. No matter what, I'll always be there for you, Emily."

The younger woman blinked a little startled at the out pour of emotions by the older woman. Over the years she had always been affectionate though not like Martha, the general's wife. She had always been quick with support of words. And of course she had always been quick with a cookie or something just as equally bad for the solider. It wasn't the words that got the raven haired beauty as much as it was the emotions that were thick behind the words. "Thank you…" Emily had almost said ma'am but quickly corrected herself. "Thank you Jessica."

Jessica put a hand on the cheek of the younger woman and reveled when she felt a little pressure. _I'm going to miss seeing you when the old buzzard retires. You better stay in touch. I just hope you find happiness._ The older woman looked into the vibrant blue eyes of her adopted daughter and smiled to herself. _Well I'll be! I can't believe it! You've finally met someone special. Well I hope it goes better than…_ "You're quite welcome. Now, don't let him get away with too much."

The red head opened the door. Her eyes met with her employer's almost like she was giving a warning look to 'be nice'. He simply rolled his eyes. Inside though he was a little more than concerned. If there was anyone that you didn't want to get angry it was his wife. Since she had passed that went to Jessica. They were a lot alike. He smiled at the thought. Emily took the handful of steps with confidence not even flinching when the door sounded closed behind her. Without permission she sat in the big leather chair that was in front of the rather large mahogany desk with which the general was seated comfortably behind.

"You seem to be at ease." Nathan, as Emily called him when they weren't on duty, eyed the young woman. "Is that why I got this report of yours saying you did what?" His voice was not necessarily held with contempt but it was a bit surprised. Of any the soldiers he had trained over the years she was the one that he had always thought would be the most level headed and would go by the book more than anyone else. "I mean a relationship with a protectee? Is that what I've taught you over the years?"

Emily swallowed before allowing herself to voice her opinion. In so many ways she knew what she was doing was wrong and yet it felt so right that how could it be wrong? She sighed and decided that the most direct route with the general was best as always. "When I got that e-mail that had been taken at the party, a party I was at and had no idea when or how it was taken, something occurred to me. I need to be around her more than just around the house. I needed an excuse to be around her as much as I could possibly be. So I decided to go ahead and begin an improper but necessary relationship with Sara."

The general shook his head sadly. He knew that in a way that she was right. Being able to have unlimited interaction with the one that you were supposed to be trying to protect was idealistic but there were rules in place for a reason. Of course if he had not crossed a line here and there he would never have met his wife. But would he tell her that? Maybe someday if things worked out happily for the couple then maybe just maybe he'd share.

For now he had to play boss and to chastise his prodigy. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. It was a position that the soldier knew all too well and inwardly flinched. Outwardly she continued her 'soldier' look and sat at attention. "While it may be true that playing house with your assignment sounds all good and well as far as protection detail what about the emotional consequences? What if actual feelings develop on either of your parts? What if, when she finds out the truth, she can't handle it? What then?"

"Well I've already thought about every scenario." Emily somehow straightened more in her chair her height instantly showing even though she was seated. "There is only one scenario that would be pleasant for everyone and the likely hood of that happening are so low that I can't even calculate it. So I will set up a contingency plan that will tell Sara how I feel and that I understand why she can't trust me or share my feelings."

The words ran through his mind and he realized something. His young protégée was literally just blowing smoke up his ass. While she might not be in love with the young college student she was already smitten. That added to the danger if their relationship was allowed to continue over the summer. Hopefully it would only be a few weeks at most before they wrapped this assignment up and got onto something truly more suited to their talents and way of thinking. But if it were to linger…

The general wanted to say more. He wanted to tell her to be careful. He wanted to tell her that he didn't want to see her get her heart broken like she had the last time. He wanted to just pull her into a hug and tell her that he would always be there for her. But at this moment and for the foreseeable future he would have to play boss and be the negative thoughts that were always good in causing a successful mission. Well not negative but the 'what ifs'. "I don't like it. But since you've already gotten the ball rolling we have no choice. Just please be careful."

"As always sir." Emily knew by the tone of his voice that she was dismissed. She stood with her heels together and saluted the older man. He smiled and gave a salute in return. Before she turned to go she couldn't help but give the old general a wink to which he actually blushed slightly. The soldier opened the door and quickly made her way to the front door. Just as she was to open it she felt a familiar presence and turned to see the woman that was her adopted mother thinking how lucky she had been to have Martha and Jessica as adoptive mothers.

Jessica had a plate wrapped in plastic wrap. It was, by the looks, an assortment of cookies and even a piece of cake. "I know you have to watch your figure but I also know that you rarely if ever treat yourself." The older woman gently put the plate into Emily's hands. "I wish you would come by more often." Her voice lowered. "Maybe bring the woman that has that gleam in your eye by the house someday." When the younger woman's face seemed to drain of color the general's housekeeper understood immediately. "I'm sorry. Be careful!"

Emily only nodded and gave the woman a playful salute. Quickly she made her way to her Harley and put the goodies in the small storage bin that was across the back. The soldier took a moment to look around. The neighborhood was almost as nice as the one that Sara resided in. But there was also something so much homier and more welcoming. It was a place that she could one day envision herself setting down in. But that would not be for a long, long time.

She sighed at the thought and put her helmet on adjusting the chin strap to make sure that it was indeed snug. There was a bit too much pent up energy in the raven haired beauty so she decided that she would go to the base and workout for a little while. Since the time that she had been with Sara there had been little to no time for her to attempt her strict workout regime. It was making her feel soft although she flashed back to when she had carried Sara the first time.

'You're so strong' had been the first thing that the petite blond could muster and to this day it put a real smile on the soldier's face. It was not because of the fact that she was indeed strong or that Sara had noticed. It was because it meant that she had surprised the younger woman. Being able to surprise someone was a good thing for many reasons. For her now when it came to Sara it was so that she could gain not only her trust but her heart. Part of her cursed herself and she gunned her motorcycle and broke a numerous laws of speed and one way streets.

_Might as well be totally reckless and stupid._ Emily sighed as she turned down an alleyway and finally was on the main road which would take her to the Army base. Being reckless and stupid was not something that she was used to and it didn't feel right. This assignment was not feeling right. The only thing that was feeling right at all was when she remembered the kiss that she had shared with Sara. And that was definitely not right either.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Sara had slept in late. After the long party that had turned into an emotional rollercoaster of sorts her body both physically and mentally had needed the time to replenish. As she carefully moved her knee she realized it was the first morning since she was hurt that the joint had only been a little sore and not outright searing. It hadn't been that long since she had been injured but she took this as a very good sign. Of course the fact that Emily had tucked her into bed and taken the time to rub the offending part of her body could also explain it a little as well.

The petite blond unconsciously touched her lips as she remembered what else Emily had done for her. Before that kiss the college girl would have claimed that a kiss was a kiss. Not that she had a lot of experiencing kissing and unfortunately it had been with mostly boys. Not having shared that she was a lesbian with her parents they had continued, along with some of her father's business associates, to attempt to fix her up and it had been with all boys of course.

Her father had claimed that it would be good for business. Her mother had tried to tell her that it would be for her own future as well had she found someone that she liked. The boys would soon be men of power and that would be a good thing for her future. Of course quickly added was the fact that it would be very good for her father's political ambitions. _Just once I wish that I had actual support of my parents and that not everything was tied into what was best for Daddy's career._

Another picture of Emily floated into her mind. That was as good as any reason to date the new cook. While in general the petite blond would not use anyone that didn't mean she couldn't make the most of a situation now did it? And yet…Sara sighed heavily at the thought. While it would really piss her parents off just to know that she was gay it would really piss them off if they knew that she was dating someone of such a background as her new girlfriend.

A moment of emotion flowed over the petite blond and she could not help but squeal at the thought. _Do I really have an actually alive and breathing girlfriend? It's not like when I made out with Megan that one time. That was just an experiment. This is the real thing! For the very first time I have a girlfriend!_ Sara was acting like a hormonal preteen and she knew it but for some reason could not help herself as a round of giggles overtook her and her whole body was shaking from the motion.

Finally getting herself under control she carefully stood putting only half her weight on her injured leg. Overall it didn't feel too bad but knew that if she didn't do what the doctors said she would only get worse so she reluctantly gathered her crutches. As she headed for the bathroom she heard her cell phone vibrating but decided it could wait until she was done with getting cleaned up. That was something she should have done before she went to bed but had just been too emotional.

After a quick shower in which her mind was solidly encased on one particular raven haired beauty she hobbled out of the bathroom clad in a red terry cloth robe. Her short blond locks were wrapped in a small towel and she was smiling. Partly it was the feeling of clean. Partly it was the feeling that there was someone out there that actually cared for her and not because she was the senator's daughter. That was a very unique thing for her.

Before she got dressed she decided to see if whoever it was had left a message of some kind. As it turned out there were two text messages. The first was from the woman that had tried to force her into something she was not ready for nor wanted. It was the older woman being worried she'd say something to her father. With a roll of beautiful green eyes she deleted the message. The second was from Emily.

That got her thinking. _Did I ever give her my cell phone number?_ Sara looked at the phone. Somehow not only had the cook gotten her cell phone number but had programmed in her own because her phone number was in the contacts. At first it got her a little worried until she read the message. 'Sorry I couldn't be there when you got up. Sorry that I took the privilege of giving you my number and me yours.' It wasn't much of a message but it was enough for the petite blond to know that she was truly cared for.

With a warm and light heart Sara quickly got dressed. Slowly she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. As usual, Cynthia was there ready to make whatever it was that she wanted. This morning she only wanted a bowl of cereal. Something that was for kids and not good for her. Luckily her father had a known sweet tooth and there were plenty of kinds to choose from. Finally she decided on a bowl of 'Lucky Charms' thinking how appropriate the name of the cereal was this morning.

The cook watched her with a great deal of interest. Cynthia knew that something had happened between the other so called cook and her Lil Peanut but didn't know the extent of it. She was hoping that the woman she now knew as a soldier was taking things slow so that Sara would not get too hurt. There was no way that they could avoid hurt with the way the relationship was starting. But that look on her sweet young face almost made her blurt out the truth. Almost if it wasn't for the young girl's safety she would have.

The older woman was still watching intently as her charge ate the sugary cereal in relative silence. There was definitely something that was positively making the younger woman glow. The cook sighed and went about cleaning up the dishes from some of the other staff. Sara was not the only one being watched. They had been around each other for nineteen years now and so she knew when something was bothering the older woman. "Care to share?"

Cynthia turned from putting the dishes in the dishwasher. There was a sad smile on her face but quickly it was hidden beneath her usual look. It was not lost on the blond but Sara waited to see what her friend was going to say. It took several moments for the cook to actually come up with something. Lying was not her first nature though all those years the secret still remained hidden had given her some practice. "Just noticed that you seem to be in a good mood this morning despite your parents."

Green eyes were once again rolling. "If I waited for my parents for a good mood I'd be unhappy for the rest of my life." A morbid thought hit her but she could not resist saying it. "Or at least until both of them are, um, gone." That got her a playful smack on the arm to which Sara simply shrugged. It was true and both of them knew it. If she waited for the day for her parents to give a damn she might as well just resign to being unhappy and depressed. "Emily is the reason I'm in a good mood."

It did not go unnoticed as the older woman cringed. Sara put her spoonful back in her bowl ready to defend herself when the cook beat her to the punch. "I've been talking with Emily. She seems like a nice young woman. Just a little older than you but still I think she has a world of experience that you don't have. I want you to promise me something." Green eyes blinked at her not used to the tone that was being used. Without waiting for a response Cynthia continue. "I want you to take things really slow with her. I…" The older woman sighed. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Sara smiled at the love and concern she was getting from the cook. It was more than she would ever get from her parents that she knew though sometimes she thought her mother wanted to be a real mom. But still it was irritating just a little that the very first real relationship that she was allowing herself to be in and already there was nothing but negativity being screamed at her. "It's a relationship. Of course there's a possibility that I could get hurt. Just as real is the possibility that Emily could get hurt. And just to let you know, not that it's any of your business, but Emily has already asked me to take it slow."

The words were stinging coming out of the younger woman's mouth. All that Cynthia wanted to do was to protect her charge not upset her. But obviously that was all that she was going to do if she kept up warning her of the dangers of the relationship. Sighing heavily the cook came and stood next to her Lil Peanut. She opened her arms and hoped that Sara would allow the hug in a sort of peace offering. When the petite blond nodded the tension went out of the cook. No hug had felt better that had ever been given to her by the younger woman. "I'm sorry. Just wanted you to know I still worry about you."

The petite blond leaned into the hug feeling a sense of love and was amazed. Amazed that it took someone that was not related to for her to feel these kinds of wonderful feelings. The closest she had come was the few times that Emily had already taken care of her. The woman just seemed to be her other half. The one person that made her whole. It was frightening and at the same time comforting especially now that they were actually dating. "It's all right. At least I know everything you do is out of love for me."

Cynthia pulled out of the hug and smiled sweetly at her charge. Still she wanted to tell her everything. That her life was possibly in danger. That the woman she was already putting her heart with was there for another reason than she knew. But all she could do was go back to her work and hope that her little girl would find the happiness that had eluded her so far in her life. Oh she was happy but she was also miserable. It was a hard thing to watch. "So, what have you got planned today?"

Sara finished swallowing her last bite of cereal and drank up the excess milk before answering. "Well, I'm going to have Derrick drive me to the hospital. I found out that the children's ward is overflowing with victims from that apartment building that burned down." Her green eyes misted over for just a moment. The number of dead was horrible. And it all could have been prevented if they had up to date smoke detectors. "I thought I'd go and read some stories or something. Emily is off somewhere but even so I was going to ask her to join me." She shrugged away the slight disappointment that she felt.

"That will be wonderful. I'm sure the kids could use a little cheering up. Perhaps I'll go down there tomorrow after I spend some time with my sister." Cynthia wadded up the dish towel and threw it on the counter. "I have to plan for a big dinner on Wednesday. Your mother e-mailed me saying that they should be back Tuesday night and that a dinner was already in the works." When there was no hint of recognition she knew that she would have to be the one to break it to her little girl. "They of course expect you to be there."

A small growl escaped out of her mouth. It wasn't unusual that she let her emotions where her parents were concerned get the better of her but as always managed to rein them in just as quickly as she lost them. "Terrific. I'll still be hobbling around on my crutches. Just what I want to do." The young woman managed to pick up her dirty dishes and place them in the dishwasher. "Well, I'm off. Have a good day. I'll see you later." She managed to give her friend a quick kiss on the cheek before she headed off to the garage in search of the driver.

It was only a half an hour later and she was standing in the hospital main lobby. She pulled out her cell phone and tapped out a quick message to her girlfriend. 'I'm at the hospital volunteering. Glad you gave me ur number. Miss you!'. With that she turned the cell phone off and put it in her front pocket. Because of the crutches she had decided to go without a purse. The petite blond managed to get to the elevators and was on her way up to the fourth floor.

Sara never noticed when the man got onto the elevator by stopping the doors from closing on the main floor so that he could squeeze into the elevator with her. To her he was just somebody trying to get a little quicker to a loved one that was most likely sick. When it came to her floor she never again noticed when the man followed at a safe distance or how he would conveniently have a newspaper covering his face whenever she just happened to look around and almost catch a glimpse of him.

Finally the petite blond had managed to find the proper ward. The nurses were ecstatic when they heard that she wanted to read to the children. They were even more thrilled when someone put it together exactly who she was. It was good for the hospital to have the daughter of the senator volunteering her time. More than one nurse discreetly managed to take photos of her as she read to the two dozen children. The nurses of course were hoping the publicity would help as everything was understaffed.

There were over two dozen children. Eighteen of them were from the large apartment building that had been a total loss from the fire. The senator's daughter had the children, which ranged from two to thirteen, totally enthralled. Even though it was geared towards the younger children the older ones were hooked on every word that petite blond was saying. The tone of her voice along with the way that she exaggerated the points with her hands and even the hospital staff was enthralled with whatever tale she was spinning.

Sara had been at the hospital for almost three hours not realizing how time was flying by until they began to serve the evening meals. Her voice was a little sore at this point and in a way was grateful for the interruption. "Well that's all for today, my young friends." There were choruses of groans and some grumpy comments. "Don't worry. I'll be back. I won't promise you what day but I do promise that I'll be back and read you some more."

That got a chorus of cheers and it made the young blond feel good. That was not why she had volunteered. It was never why she did the charity work that she did. Praise was wonderful and it did make her feel good but she knew. She knew that she had never wanted for nothing except for maybe love. These kids, at least most of them, had love but they were now homeless and hurting. Even a couple had lost their families in the fire and that was even worse. If she could give back even just a little that was what made her happy.

The petite blond was slowly hobbling back to the elevators. For the past half hour she had not realized that a very familiar pair of blue eyes had been upon her. In fact she almost placed one of her crutches on the taller dark haired woman's foot as she leaned on the archway just outside of the area where just moments before had been reading to the sick children. Without looking up she mumbled a tired, "I'm sorry. Wasn't looking where I was going."

"I would say not." Sara's head whipped up at the sultry sound of her girlfriend's voice. Her green eyes lit up and her crutches clattered to the ground and she practically threw herself into Emily's arms. "Gee if I get a greeting like this every time that I surprise you then I'll have to do it more often." With the words came a tighter grip around her neck and instantly the soldier knew. As well as her girlfriend had been appearing to hold up she had been on emotional overload. In fact there were muffled cries coming from the woman that had her in a vice like grip. "Shh. It's ok. Why don't we go to the diner and get something totally disgusting and unhealthy."

Sara wanted to simply melt into the strong body that was holding her. It didn't matter to her that they were in the middle of the hospital and that there was quite the audience the display of affection that was going on between the two women. To most it was simply one friend holding another after an emotional day. But to a couple it was a chance to perhaps make a little bit of money. Emily heard the pictures being taken and cursed.

The raven haired beauty could care less about how a picture of the two of them would affect the senator. There was Sara to consider. How would she feel being possibly outed this way? Then there was the fact that exposure of any kind was not a good thing with the threats still looming so large over the college student. Part of the soldier wanted to go smash the phones but knew that would not be good either so she simply braced herself mentally for what possibly was to come.

No one would notice the eye contact that she made with the man that had kept his face buried in the newspaper as they walked out. Sara's crutches making a distinct sound as she walked to the elevator. The man quickly looked away. It was a mental picture that Emily took of the man. Something was not right when it came to him but she could not say what it was exactly about the man that made her feel uneasy. Of course with the way the investigation was going revealing nothing everything was making her on edge.

Emily managed to tie the crutches to her Harley. They sent Derrick and the car back to the estate. The raven haired beauty presented Sara with a belated birthday present. To the petite blond the kiss was the real present. But this was just as good as it was her own personalized helmet. It fit perfectly and the two were roaring through the streets on their way to an out of place diner that they both loved and it was back to the place that they first had met.

As soon as they arrived Sara excused herself to go to the bathroom. Emily was grateful as Charlene was working which wasn't always the norm for the owner on a Sunday evening. The raven haired beauty pulled her aside. She had to explain how things had changed and how quickly. "Hey girl!" The owner gave her a punch on the shoulder a familiar joke of a greeting. "I know. Been too long. Listen, things have changed between Sara and I. Um well we're seeing one another."

"OMG!" Charlene said it so loud that everyone in the diner turned to look at them. Luckily it was not as busy as usual and so it was only a handful of patrons. Still it was enough to cause the soldier to redden around the tips of the ears. Luckily her long dark hair hid it well. She playfully smacked the older woman. "Sorry." Quickly her voice was lowered and she came around from around the counter and gave her tall friend a quick hug. "But?"

Emily sighed. After their last excursion here she knew that her friend would want an explanation. Hurriedly she explained, "Um, well it's still complicated." That one word was enough to cause a visible shudder to go through Charlene. She knew a little of what her friend's job and personal life was like and if the word 'complicated' was involved it probably wasn't a good thing. "But I'm going to see where it goes." She heard the unmistakable sound of the crutches and turned to see the petite blond settling into a booth. Their eyes met and without even thinking a huge smile was upon her face.

The smile was instantly returned. Charlene watched the little interlude and could not help but smile herself. Though she was still concerned it was obvious that her young friend had a crush. And the crush definitely had a crush in return. While quite jealous as she always would be when it came to Emily she was overall happy with the fact that her friend might just be finding love. But again she went back to that single word and her heart ached for both women and it gave her a window of opportunity.

The raven haired beauty was so distracted by the look that Sara was giving her that she forgot all about her older friend. Emily simply made her way over to the table to join her new girlfriend. "So what's a beautiful young thing like you doing all alone in a dive like this?" This was something that the soldier was not really good at. Flirting and banter in general did not come easy to her. But from the first time that they had seen each other a little over a week ago it came with ease with Sara.

Sara blushed just a little at the statement. While not usually shy when it came to talking to the same gender, hell with anyone, there was something about Emily that seemed to get her tongue tied at least in public. When she was in the confines of her own home she could torture the raven haired beauty. But here, where they first met it was different somehow. "Well I was hoping that my girlfriend would show up and rescue me from some of these unwanted advances."

Emily laughed and sat down. She took the sunglasses off her head not having needed them for a little bit now as the sun was setting. That was the way that Sara liked it. There was nothing like looking into those blue eyes. They were electric and set her very soul on fire. As did just about anything else about the woman that was quickly stealing her heart. Her heart melted even more when her girlfriend said, "I guess I'll just have to do. I can be a very good girlfriend. If you let me. In fact…" The soldier made sure that Sara's injured leg was resting next to her causing the petite blond to smile brightly.

Charlene had come over to take their orders as her waitress was on break. She had heard the exchange and again that pang of jealousy washed over the older woman. _She's too young for you. And you had your chance. Your time with her as anything but a friend is over. Just be happy for her._ But that was easier said than done. "So ladies…" She waited until she finally got both of their attentions. "What it'll be tonight? The chili is a blast if I do say so myself."

The soldier looked into green eyes for a long moment before looking away to contemplate the question. This was their first official date in her mind. It wasn't a fancy place but it had emotional ties for them and it always would. So what to order on their first official date? That was the question. For a moment Emily had the answer but didn't want to assume anything. So she turned and managed to get green eyes looking into her blue ones. "Oh I was thinking about something like nachos for two followed up by something really fattening. Maybe we could share one of the diner's world famous monster banana splits?"

Sara's green eyes twinkled. This was one thing she liked about the states. The food in England left something to be desired. But here in the states and in her favorite little diner with her girlfriend it just all felt right and perfect. What her girlfriend had ordered was simply perfect as well. "Well it's as if you read my mind. It sounds delectable to me." She managed to turn her gaze away from Emily's. "I agree with my…" G_irlfriend? Well duh that's what she is. But in public?_

"Very good friend." Emily's gaze never left the petite blond's. She knew that the private things that they said to each other were to stay that way. Even playing a little earlier had been a little risqué by the soldier but just could not help herself. But now that they were settled into the booth it was back to reality and time to put on the private persona. "This half of the very good friends will be paying for dinner so the check comes to me." Before Sara could say anything the soldier continued. "You can get the next time. I promise."

_So it's going to be a give and take relationship. That's a good thing. Some would say I should pay because I have money. Some would say that Emily is more guy like and should pay. I honestly only see all woman when I look at her. Granted she can pick me up like I weigh nothing but still she is gorgeous and beyond. Really liking this so far._ "I'll hold you to that, Missy." They both laughed and neither heard the groan that came out of Charlene as she walked away.

They ate in relative silence just enjoying one another's company. It occurred to Sara that this was the quietest that she had ever been whether on a date or just hanging with one of her few friends. It was nice just to sit there and absorb the other person's presence without having to say too much. Although she was dying to get to know her girlfriend better. But that could wait until another time. For some reason she just felt like they had all the time in the world.

Of course Emily knew the truth. While they were both young there was still something that was going on that was even more than just threatening e-mails. The man at the hospital today was not right. Just before they had left the hospital she had texted Roberts and had him get with hospital security to see if they could track the mysterious man. While it seemed a little paranoid, and the older man let her know this, she just had a gut feeling that this man was not just out of place.

There was still no break in the case as whoever was doing a good job at moving from internet café to internet cafe. In fact it was almost like they were doing too good a job and that gave the soldier an idea that would have to wait until morning. Though the woman that she already loved was in danger there was something telling her that for now it was not as close as any of them thought. At least part of the danger was from farther away and therefore she would just relax for now.

That was until their hands met. Both sets of eyes met and there was instantly a fire in both of their eyes. While for many, many reasons Emily knew that they were going to have to take things slowly she knew that it would not be easy. The petite blond was drop dead gorgeous and somehow just got her like they had done something like this before. Maybe not exactly like this but they had once before been together and their paths had traveled together for a very long time.

Emily knew that it was up to her to make sure that she and Sara were able to walk together for a long time. Or at least to keep the petite blond alive. For deep in her heart she just knew that the younger woman would not be able to forgive her for what she had to do. That was to lie to protect the woman that she loved. That was to do anything and everything to protect her. Was the price of protecting Sara going to be that of their love?


	6. Chapter 6

Wednesday came faster than either young woman thought that it could. While Emily still put on her pretenses of being the cook, she had spent almost every free second that she had with Sara. Even with the crutches the soldier found that the petite blond was full of energy. They had gone back to the hospital Tuesday afternoon. Monday had also been a day of volunteering as the raven haired beauty found out that her girlfriend was an artist. She had been giving painting lessens at the youth center the past five summers.

It reminded her just how much Emily really didn't know about the young woman. Sure she had the bio she had been given and even had one of her friends at the FBI do an even more in depth background check on her after she had been forced with the assignment. But what was contained in those files was nothing like the real woman that was now sitting in the living room with her mother. The older version of the petite blond sounded sweet but the soldier wondered what the real person was like.

Already having the dinner planned out and ready to go with only a few minor tweakings, she and Cynthia were sitting in the kitchen sipping on their drink of choice. For Emily it was a nice tall glass of chocolate milk. For the older woman it was a cup of tea with honey. The soldier could feel the stare that the older woman was continually giving her. She knew that the older cook wanted to ask her more questions about what was going on.

Part of her really wanted to tell her but knew that that was an impossibility. There were only two people that she could fully divulge the extent of what was going on. The general was not thrilled still with what was happening but she had no choice. As far as her lieutenant he was a joke. _How was it that he got to be a Special Forces officer?_ If she were to have her way she would gladly get him reassigned but when she had broached the general he had declined.

The raven haired beauty kept leaning back in her chair to check on Sara. Obviously just sitting with her mother was no threat but something was making her gut act up. There was a foreboding in the air and she knew that something was going to happen and soon. That was when her phone went off. She had given up the everyday cell phone for the secured one. It looked almost ordinary and figured it was easier not to get them mixed up that way.

It was a new e-mail with a new threat. This one was a little more benign and hard to be considered a threat and yet it was from one of the five e-mail addresses that had been sending the threats from the beginning. She quickly forwarded the information to the general and to Roberts. As she was about to put the phone away another e-mail came. This one was not a threatening one but it was a picture of Emily and Sara at the hospital. It was of her hugging the younger girl. It was all in innocence as her friend had needed support after an emotional day.

When she read why she had been forwarded this particular picture she cursed inwardly. It was just as she had feared. The picture had been sold to one of the local gossip magazines. While it was just an innocent picture she knew with a little editing and the right captions and this would be bad for both Sara and herself. Of course what was worse was what would happen when the senator got wind of something like this.

Quickly she put a plan into motion drinking the rest of her chocolate milk in one big swallow. "I'll be back in twenty minutes. If you need me sooner just call." Without waiting for a response she quickly made her way to her room. Of course she had to go by the living room. Her eyes for just a moment caught green ones and she gave her girlfriend a wink before quickly ascending the stairs three at a time. _Girlfriend. That's going to take some getting used to. _When she got to the safety of her room she pulled out her computer.

The small laptop was equipped with its own secure internet so she never had to worry about that. She waited for it to fire up. All her contacts were in this computer and there was one that she needed right now. Putting in a password that contained thirty numbers and twenty letters she clicked on the icon that she needed. The number was dialed as her cell phone and computer were synched up. "Yes, this is secretary Watkins for Senator Henry Kinston."

Emily had to smile to herself as the woman on the other end of the line scrambled to attention. There was shuffling of papers and the beeps of computers. _Funny how you even mention a senator or someone famous and people fall all over you. What if I weren't who I say I am? Oh wait! That's true! Moron!_ After a long time the voice got back to her. "Yes well we got an advance copy of a picture involving the senator's daughter. It's to go into 'Celebrity Now'. All that happened was that an employee of the senator's was comforting her after his little Sara had volunteered at the children's burn center. What kind of counter publicity can we get going?"

The soldier could feel and hear the woman practically falling all over herself. It was nuts and stupid that this would work but if it could that would be the important thing. "Yes I can e-mail a copy of the photo to you." Again she listened as the woman fawned over the senator and then Sara. _Now she deserves the accolades. That bastard can't even be there for his daughter's birthday._ "Thank you. Oh I know the senator will never forget this."

Quickly Emily put the computer back in its hidden place under the bed. She put her cell phone back in her pocket and made her way down the stairs. At that moment she heard what she would consider wails. These were not the usual crying that she was used to. It sounded like Sara. Sure enough there was the petite blond nearly convulsing she was crying so hard. It took all of the soldier's willpower to keep just where she was in the door frame.

Emily could not help but wonder what exactly her girlfriend had been told to elicit a reaction such as that. Cynthia's voice made her turn and go to the kitchen. _If we were a real couple I'd be in there with you, sweetheart. Hell we are a real couple and yet we're in the closet in so many ways._ The soldier sighed and kept going into the kitchen. The time had come to focus on her secondary job. Comforting Sara would have to wait until all the stuff shirts had left.

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The dinner was ready and the guests were arriving. There were only about a dozen people besides the senator and his family. One person, a young man around the soldier's age, stood out like a kitten among black lab puppies. Everyone else was of the senator's age. It made Emily think and not too kind thoughts thinking back to the cries that her girlfriend had let out. Were the senator and his wife back to fixing up their daughter with eligible bachelors?

That made something deep down inside burn in disgust. All she wanted to do was to ask Sara to go away with her. There was a special movie opening tonight. That would be a great way to spend an evening. Maybe follow it up with dinner at the diner or better yet maybe at a fancy restaurant that the soldier had never been in the likes before? Her heart sighed heavily with want and heavy with the fact that this assignment was turning into an emotional rollercoaster.

Emily had changed slightly from her cooking uniform. What she was wearing now was similar but it was all black instead of the white shirt. She caught Sara watching her more than one time which of course meant that she too was watching her girlfriend. Hopefully they were both being discreet as the conversation droned on. The soldier tried to pay attention. While she wasn't sure if it was a business associate that was doing the threatening she knew the more she found out about the power that the senator wielded the better.

The day was beginning to drag on. _Who knew a dinner of four courses could take three hours to eat? Seriously? Who takes that long to dine?_ Finally something caught her attention. It was the young man that had of course been seated next to Sara. He leaned in and whatever he whispered had caused the normally stoic petite blond to blush. _All right. That's it. I've had enough of this. There is no way that you can get away with hitting on MY girlfriend you jerk._

Allowing her emotions to get the better of her she did something that normally would get a person in her position fired. But because she knew that she could not be fired nor reassigned that made what she was about to do even more satisfying. Emily had been refilling everyone's ice waters and had a rather large pitcher of ice water. Making it look very convincing, the soldier 'accidentally' tripped sending the entire contents of the pitcher the whole length of his lengthy frame.

"Oh my gracious! I'll get you a towel!" Emily quickly ran to the kitchen. She stood there for just a moment gathering the chuckles that had built up. Finally she was able to compose herself at least somewhat and grabbed a couple of kitchen towels before making her way without a real sense of speed to the dinner table. The soldier began to pat dry the man with one towel while handing him the other. He literally growled at her and she took a step back in a mock sense of fear.

If looks could kill, Emily knew that she would be dead. Or at least he thought she would be. _It would take someone tougher than you. You little pansy. Embarrassing a smart, beautiful young woman like that? You are a dog that needs to be put outside till he's housebroken._ Wisely, instead of saying anything, the man took off toward the downstairs bathroom. Blue eyes and green met and there was a question in the green eyes to which a quick wink was given.

That got a wink in return and quickly had Sara covering her mouth to cover the smirk that had formed there. _Ever the young lady. I wish I were more like you sometimes._ Emily turned as she heard her named barked at her. "What on God's green earth do you think you were doing? And don't tell me that was an accident." Henry Kingston was standing now at the head of the table. It looked like he was about to have a stroke his face was so red.

Forgetting just a moment who she was and why she was there, Emily crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. She walked in a slow and threatening manner enough so that the senator could not help but fall back into his chair. At the look on his face and on his wife's the soldier knew she was handling this all wrong at least as far as from the cook's point of view. Forcibly she relaxed herself and bowed her head as if in penance. "Truly, Sir, it was an accident. I'm sorry to have disturbed your guest and the dinner party. I will keep myself in the kitchen the rest of the time."

Not waiting for a response Emily made her way into the kitchen. Part of her wanted to laugh. Part of her wanted to scream. Mostly she just wanted to go grab Sara's hand and pull her gently to her feet. Hell who was she kidding. She would go in there and swoop the girl into her arms and carry her off to who knows where. That was her first instinct and the one that felt the most right. Yet it was the last thing that she could do at that moment.

"Miss Emily?" Cynthia made her turn her head. The look the older woman was giving her almost made her feel like her mother had. Of course her memories of her mother had faded over the years but it was the 'look'. The one where you knew you were in trouble and better pray that you got off with a warning. "I hope that you will not make it a habit to spill ice cold water on our guests." The voice was loud enough so that the senator and the rest of the guests could hear. The older cook closed the distance between the two women. She leaned in and whispered, "Do you know how many times I've wanted to do something like that? You'll have to tell me how it felt later."

It was a good thing that Emily had her back to the dining area as her eyes were wide as saucers and after what had been said sunk in she was trying so hard not to laugh. She managed to say loud and clear enough for the rest of the people gathered, "No Ma'am. I'm not usually as klutzy as that. I promise to be more careful in the future." She winked and reached out and patted the older woman's arm before she went further into the kitchen and out of the sight of everyone.

Unfortunately that also meant Sara. It was something else but already she was missing being with the petite blond. Not that they had spent hours and hours together but the past three days had been wonderful. One thing she had learned about the college student was that she was genuine. The things she did for charity came from the heart. While it might look good for her father she always chose things that were near and dear to her heart and mostly to do with children.

Emily began to clean the dishes that had been cleared away. Luckily there was a large capacity dishwasher so mostly just had to empty the extras on the plates or bowls into the garbage and place them carefully to wash later. Her mind was going over not what she had just done but what she was going to do to stop whoever it was that was threatening somebody that was so sweet and innocent as her girlfriend.

Something suddenly came together and the soldier finished quickly with what she was doing. Without a sound she made her way up to her room. Once again she fired up her laptop. Punching in her code she brought up the first e-mail and the last e-mail. She looked at them side by side. Not only had they been sent from the same location it was not the real location. While computers were not her strong suit she could tell a faked IPS address.

Quickly she pulled her cell phone out and waited. "Murphy? It's me House. Yeah." She listened to the man go on about maybe getting together for dinner sometime. _It's hard when you are in the closet. Only so many ways you can say not interested. If I could just say 'I bat for the other team' then maybe he would get it. But then again he was a guy so…_ "Actually I'm in the states. DC in fact. As always can't say too much. But I have these three e-mails. Phony IPS addresses. Can you see what you and the lab boys can make of it for me? The person I've been using either doesn't know his head from his…Thanks, pal. If I'm still in town during basketball season."

With that she hung up the cell phone. Why she hadn't thought of using her friend from the CIA she had no clue. Those from the FBI almost seemed like they were on the take or something. There was no way that any first year lab rat couldn't see that the IPS addresses were faked. Even Emily could and she had only a minimal amount of work with computers other than how to use them to infiltrate. Something still felt funny about her assignment like the senator wasn't taking this seriously. But that could just be paranoia that was engrained after how many covert operations.

Emily looked at the clock. It was almost eight at night. Her plans for after dinner were now spoiled at the lateness. She sighed and knew they could take place any time but she had been looking forward to an evening with her favorite college student. Quickly the cook made her way back down the stairs. The young man was nowhere to be seen but a handful of the older people were still there. So was Sara looking like she wanted to either gouge her eyes out or cover her ears the conversation was so boring.

Once again she managed to catch the younger woman's gaze to which she earned a sweet smile. She waved shyly and made her way into the kitchen. Cynthia was already starting up the dishwasher when she made her presence known. The older woman turned and smiled at her young charge. While the older cook was still concerned for Sara's emotional status she could see that Emily really did care. It was a difficult situation one that she hoped would resolve itself as painless as possible.

"Why don't you call it a night?" Cynthia's voice was smooth and reassuring. "There's not much more to do. The rest of the staff can handle it. In fact I'm going to have a cup of tea and just relax for a while. Might I suggest that you go to the stables to help you unwind?" Emily looked at her with a questioning look on her face. "I hear that hanging out with the ponies is a very good way to relax even if it's too late to go for a ride."

Emily got what the older woman was talking about. A huge smile was upon her face. "I think I'll just go get changed into something a little more comfortable before I head out there. Thanks for the suggestion, my friend." There was a wink from the older woman and a smirk from the soldier. With little haste she went upstairs and washed her face. Part of her wanted to take a shower but figured that was good enough for now. She put on one of her faded black jeans and a red sleeveless ribbed tank top.

Looking in the mirror she had to admit that she looked good. Maybe not knock down drag down good but enough so that she could hold her own against most. Her long raven hair was allowed to flow mostly down her back but some also was cascading down the front of her shoulders. Her bangs where a little longer than she liked and put in a mental reminder that she needed to trim them sometime soon. She splashed just a little of the vanilla scented perfume she had been given by Jessica as a belated birthday present. One last look in the mirror and she was on her way out to the stables.

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Finally everyone had left and Sara could not have been happier. Well there was one way and that was to find a dark and tall and mysterious cook that had saved her from something she would never want to do. Well at least with someone of male persuasion. There was only one thing to do after a long day spent with mostly older people trying to charm her to get to her parents. That was change into something more comfortable and head down to the stables.

The only groan factor with that were her blasted crutches which she need for at least another week according to the doctor. But it would be worth it that was for sure. Nothing calmed and soothed her like being around the magnificent animals with one exception. That brought her mind back to Emily not that the woman was ever far from it. Quickly she was up and dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans that had a hole just above the right knee. Add a V-neck T-shirt in a color of green that matched her eyes and a quick brushing of her short hair and she felt refreshed and ready to go.

Sara stopped first by Emily's room but there was no answer when she knocked. Second she stopped by the kitchen but again there was no raven haired beauty. Cynthia was just rinsing out her tea cup and placing it in the sink since the dishwasher was already running. There was a picnic basket on the table and the petite blond hobbled over and looked inside. There were a lot of sweet desserts that were leftover from the dinner along with some sparkling grape juice. "What's this?"

Cynthia turned around and looked at her young employer. The girl had grown up and was no longer a girl. Sometimes all the cook saw when she looked at the young woman was a girl at five years old riding a tricycle all over the kitchen though it was forbidden by her parents. Of course they had been off somewhere and so the cook/nanny had allowed it. _Had me wrapped around your pinkie even back then._ She smiled at the thought before quickly saying, "Thought you might like something sweet after all that you had to put up with tonight."

"Uh huh." Sara looked at her quizzically. She knew that there was more to it than just that. Though she loved her friend dearly she knew that there was always a reason that she did things. Mostly it was to find a way to make her happy and for that she would always love the older woman. The thought of her retiring soon made her cringe. It made her not want to come back to the states. At the very least not want to come to the place that she had grown up in. "I know that look, woman. But I also know I won't get anything out of you so is there some way I can carry it around my neck?"

The older woman had already thought about that. Before securing the lid she made sure that nothing would slide or spill before she then took the long strap and put it around her young friend's neck. "I think if you carry it in the back it'll be easier. Unless of course you want me to go with you down to the stables. I just thought that you would want to be alone." There was a bit of mischief in her tone and Sara knew it well.

"I think I'll try and go it alone." Sara once again eyed her friend and employee. There was definitely something up with her tonight. But she was not about to try and find out. While the college student was as stubborn as they came she knew that Cynthia gave new meaning to the word. So it was off at an agonizingly slow pace. At least the picnic basket wasn't bothering her back as she made her way down the well-lit path to the stables.

When she got within ten feet she heard a familiar husky voice that was music to her ears. Having had to watch Emily all evening and not being able to acknowledge her had been the most difficult thing she had done in ages. It was unusual just how much the woman was becoming to mean to her. The other day at the hospital, saving her from the possibly drowning, and coming after her and once again holding her. There was something to be said about being rescued that made a girl's head spin. And that was not even counting the cold bath she had given that jerk whose name she couldn't remember. Now that was priceless.

Sara could hear Emily talking sweetly to one of the horses. She was most likely talking to Temperance. There was something kindred about the woman and the mare. It was what she felt with Wishbone. Part of her wanted to go for a ride but knew that not enough of the estate was lit enough for something like that and it would also not be good on her injured knee. As daring as she could be even she knew better than to push certain things. The distinct sound of her crutches caused the cook to turn and look into her eyes.

Their gaze held for a moment. It was like they could communicate without even saying a word sometimes. This seemed to be one of those times. Without saying anything Emily made her way over and relieved her of her burden. She reached out and rubbed one of Sara's cheeks with her free hand. The younger woman leaned into the contact. It was a wonderful and unique feeling. Oh she had been touched like that before but never had she had these kinds of sensations.

There was a red cedar picnic table and a white gazebo not far from the stables. Emily pointed in the direction and Sara contemplated for a minute. _If I'd brought a blanket the gazebo would be perfect. I could stretch out my leg and maybe lean against something tall, strong and amazing._ She sighed wishing Cynthia had thought about that as it seemed that she had thought about everything else. As if reading her mind the soldier produced a blanket. The contralto voice broke through the still night and asked, "The gazebo?"

Sara nodded trying to figure what had just happened. She could have sworn that there was not a blanket in the basket when she looked. And she didn't recall turning her back on the cook other than when the older woman placed it on her back. That had not been enough time, had it? Slowly she made her way over to the gazebo. She waited for Emily to spread the thick large blanket and place the basket in the middle. The taller woman stretched out with her back against one of the walls. She patted the spot next to her.

The college student complied immediately ditching her crutches and hopping the short distance that separated them. For a moment a long arm held her tight and that was how they sat with a blond head leaning on a shoulder and a raven haired head leaning on the blond. The only sound was that of their breathing and an antiquated bug zapper going off every so often. Along with the light in the gazebo a full moon shown down and illuminated them quite nicely.

Neither was really hungry. Sara had managed to eat most of her supper though her stomach had been in knots almost the entire time. Well until a certain cook had managed to put a little levity into the evening. After that things had started looking up and she had gladly eaten what was in front of her. Whether truly hungry or not she was just content to sit there and absorb the woman that was next to her. Besides the few times that they had briefly had contact, this was the first time that they had truly been snuggled up like this.

It felt right. It felt calming. It felt like they should be doing this the rest of their lives. That was a scary thought seeing she had just turned nineteen and she knew Emily had not long ago turn twenty two. They were both so young and at least for the college student really hadn't lived that much. Oh she had been to every European country and many more around the world. But that was usually somehow tied into something her father was doing and not a real vacation.

"I know we just started dating." Emily's slightly rough voice startled the petite blond out of her thoughts enough so that she jumped a little. The soldier cleared her throat before continuing. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. It's just something I've been thinking about. I mean we are officially dating now. You are in college and I assume going back to Oxford in the fall." A blond head nodded. "So, um, what are your plans for after Oxford? Some kind of graduate school or medical school?"

Sara turned her head so that she was looking into blue eyes. It was true that they had only been dating for about a week now but still it felt longer. In that moment she realized they knew little about each other. Whenever they went out it was small talk and nothing really of their pasts. She was sure that Emily knew a little about her since she had partially grown up in the spotlight but that was the public persona and not the private one that she liked to keep hidden.

Truly Sara had been thinking about that a lot especially since her general studies would need to be changed before she went back to school. Freshman year was just basic classes. Starting with her sophomore year she needed to declare a major and to start planning for her life after school. For now, and she hoped for a very long time, she wanted to include Emily in those plans. Of course if she was just a cook she could find a job almost anywhere, right?

"Well, I am premed." Sara could feel the woman she was lying next to stiffen a bit. "That's a lot of schooling whether in England in the states." The college student thought for a moment. "I've also thought about possibly becoming a teacher. I really like it when I volunteer whether it's just reading to the young ones, teaching them painting or just being there for them." The petite blond smiled shyly. "I guess you could say I don't really know what I truly want to be when I grow up."

Emily took this in. It did not surprise her for a second that her girlfriend would want to do something that would help people or that involved children. She had seen her with the kids at the hospital. If ever there was a natural storyteller it was the petite blond. She just had a way with words and would draw you in with not only her tone but also how animated she got with her hands. "I thought you'd like to do something like that though being a doctor would be amazing too. I'm not sure what I want to do with my life yet."

Sara suddenly shifted so that she had her head in Emily's lap and she was looking up into blue eyes. There was an uncertainty in them that she was not used to seeing. From the night that they had met in the diner it had always seemed to the petite blond that she was sure of herself. There were a couple times when the cook had tried fighting her obvious feelings and gotten flustered but that was different. This was actually a little unnerving thinking of the usually sure woman second guessing herself.

"What have you done in the past?" Emily stiffened below Sara's touch and she instantly wondered what that was about. _She has a past. Even I do as young as I am. Is there something that she doesn't want to talk about? Can't talk about? Tread lightly, Kingston. Don't want to scare the woman away just after you got her to open up to you._ "You don't have to answer that. I was just wondering if you've always been a cook, that's all."

Emily had stiffened at the thought of all the things that she had done in the past. How would someone as sweet and innocent react to the fact that she had taken lives? True it was all in the defense of their country but some of those faces still haunted her. They were so young and yet what can you do when an eight year old comes at you with a bomb strapped to their chest? An involuntary shudder ran through her body. It was still warm for the early summer day so she could not blame it on the cold.

_What do I tell her? That I've gone from job to job all over the country and some in foreign lands? Do I tell her that I don't know what I want to do in the future because I've seen and done too much to not want to reenlist and yet the opposite applies? I've done and seen too much to keep doing what I've been doing._ "My past is complicated. I was an Army brat so I moved around a lot. My parents both were um…" It was almost always impossible for her to talk about her parents' deaths.

Sara quickly sat up. She quickly wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and pulled her so tight that for a moment neither of them could breathe. It wasn't the first time that the college student had come across this kind of pain. Her father loved to hang around war heroes or war heroes children. It made for good PR. But to the young woman it was just an example of just how much these soldiers gave up just to keep freedom not only for the Unite States but around the world.

"I'm sorry." Sara leaned back finally allowing for both of them to breathe. Somehow the petite blond had managed to find a way onto her girlfriend's lap. Once again she allowed her head to rest on a strong shoulder that gave her quite the measure of comfort. "I can't even imagine what it would be like to grow up without your parents. I mean mine were never really there for me but still they were alive and all. How old were you?"

"I was twelve when dad died and eleven when mom died." Emily tried to push the tears that were stinging her eyes back. She had not cried since she was twelve about her parents' deaths. She had not cried really since Martha, the general's wife, had died last year. She really didn't want to now. Was that because she didn't want to show weakness to Sara? "I was raised by my older brother technically. But I really was closer to General Nathan Adams and his wife Martha. It was devastating when she died last year of breast cancer. I was out of the country and missed the funeral."

Sara snagged a strong hand and held it over her heart. "I'm sorry. I've not really lost anyone that I was close to other than my grandparents. I don't know how Dad ended up like he did. His parents were the loving supportive kind. When they died within a year of one another it took away most of my support system. My Mom's parents died when I was five so I don't really remember them. All I really have is Cynthia for support." Her heart skipped a beat and she looked up into blue eyes. "Guess that's not entirely true anymore, is it?"

That got a goofy grin on the older woman's face. "If you'll allow me to be I'll be there for you in any way or shape that I can be. I feel like I've been alone most of my life. My brother is one of the few people that knows that I'm a lesbian. He basically disowned me. He didn't want me around my niece's birthday because he thought I'd be a bad influence on her." She sighed thinking back to that birthday party. Sadly it was one of the last that she had been to and now her niece was nine years old.

"Sounds like neither of us had the best support growing up. I mean blood wise." They both got quiet for a moment. Sara's sweet voice startled Emily from her thoughts the quiet had gone on for so long. "I guess that's why I've always laughed at the old saying that blood is thicker than water. For me it never has been. Whenever something happened it was because someone set me up. Daddy never believed me and always thought I was trying to embarrass him. Although there were a few times I was. In fact, I, um, hate to admit it did cross my mind when I thought about being in a relationship with you."

"So, the woman is a human being after all! Who knew!" Emily took her free hand and began tickling a little the ribs of the woman who was leaning against her. It didn't escalate into and all out tickle war but it did help to continue to lighten the mood. "I do agree with you. I've got some good friends I've made over the years that I think of as family. I once heard somewhere that there is the family you are born with and then there is the family you make. To me the most important ones are the ones that you make."

They sat for a few moments contemplating what both had said about families. They both knew that they were so young. And Emily had the weight of knowing that she had only been half truthful with her girlfriend. She had never lied but she had never been fully forthcoming. That was, in some ways, just like splitting hairs. She let the scent of Sara wash over her and she closed her eyes. For a very long moment she was tempted to come clean with her girlfriend. About everything. And in fact she was going to have a meeting with the general sometime soon. She would better be able to protect Sara if she knew the whole story. And then maybe she could salvage a relationship with her. Maybe.


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of the week had gone by quickly. Sara had thought a lot about the things that Emily had said. There was something about the young woman. It wasn't just this physical attraction that she had noticed the first time they laid eyes on one another. There was something more to it than just that. After hearing a little of her girlfriend's past that intrigued her as well. The society girl had never known anyone with quite so much personal tragedy before outside of her volunteer work.

But there also were things that the raven haired cook was leaving out. Sara had been around enough politicians over the years to know when she was being lied to or told half-truths. She wasn't accusing the older woman of lying to her but she was accusing her of not being totally honest with her. Unknown to her parents and even Cynthia, the petite blond had a contact at the CIA. It was someone that her parents had tried setting her up with several years before. The thought that he had gone into public service would make her parents cringe. She loved it!

Jeremy said that it could take up to a week since he was doing this through unofficial channels. Part of the young woman hated to go behind Emily's back. But she had been burned a time or two. Not by a woman as of yet but still it had hurt. And after getting rejected and made to think so little of herself over the years by her parents she wanted a lover that she could trust with her heart, her body and her soul. Or was she being stupid?

It was Saturday evening and she was waiting for her girlfriend to finish up helping with the cleaning up after her parents latest dinner party. Luckily this time there had been no attempt at a setup and for which Sara was grateful. As much as she had enjoyed Emily's little 'accident' on Wednesday there was no way that she wanted another repeat performance. Although if her girlfriend wasn't working for her they might be able to spend more time together.

Sara had been in her room for half an hour. Though it was the weekend she knew that Jeremy would be available anytime to her. The petite blond was having second thoughts about having asked him to look into Emily's past. It wasn't right. It went against everything that she had ever believed in. Her friend had been quite shocked when she had asked. Not why she had asked as he had found out after a make out session why it had not gone better, but that she asked at all.

Already she had picked up her cell phone about twenty times in that half an hour. Finally the guilt got the better of her. Fortunately her friend answered on the second ring. "Jeremy, it's Sara." She listened to how he was surprised to hear from her and that he was still working on their little project. "That's what I'm calling you about. I can't go through with it. I mean I have to get to know her slowly and trust that she is being honest with me. Please just forget about it. I'll still owe you that steak dinner."

After saying their goodbyes, the college student felt a lot better about herself. Oh she still hated that she had even started the investigation into the background check on her girlfriend. But at least her conscience was relieved a little just by calling it off. _I hope she never finds out about that. I wonder if I should tell her? No, we've only been going out for over a week. Don't want to scare her off thinking I'm some moron._ She sighed heavily wishing that Emily would be available soon.

As if on cue, the dark haired woman knocked on her bedroom door though it was already open. "You're a sight for sore eyes." The blond stood up wincing a little as she put pressure on her knee. The doctor had told her she didn't need to use the crutches as long as she used the knee brace. It pinched a little when she walked and was still getting used to it but it was better than the crutches. "I missed you like crazy today for some reason."

Emily quickly closed the gap. Instead of the searing kiss she wanted to plant on the younger woman's lips she went for the safer hug. A hug between employer and employee could be explained a little easier than a lip lock. "I missed you too." She reveled in the scent and the feel of the smaller woman. _You are so gone, House. I don't know if I'm going to survive this assignment. Damn you general! Why can't I tell her?_ The sigh that escaped her was luckily taken as one of contentment instead of one of frustration.

"So, you going to take me on that date you promised me?" Sara was looking at her with big green eyes. Though she was well on her way to womanhood there was something still so childlike and innocent about the petite blond that it melted Emily's heart every time. "Are we going on the Harley?" There was that little bit of youth and enthusiasm that the soldier had already come to love and cherish so much. "I mean I love riding with my arms wrapped around you."

_I love it too. More than I probably should. Wait, I'm her girlfriend. What is wrong with feeling like that? Only because of your assignment and the fact that your boss won't let you come clean. This is the time to shove all that away and just enjoy your time with her while you have it._ "Actually I borrowed a friend's car." Sara once again was looking up at her with those amazing green eyes. "I felt that we should have a 'real' date this time. I made reservation for a light late supper. If you want to go that is."

Sara for just a moment forgot where she was and leaned up and gave Emily a satisfying kiss. "I don't care if we go to a fancy restaurant or the diner. I don't care if we go to the movies or we go to the museum. As long as we are together that is all that matters to me." The college student smiled shyly at her girlfriend. This was one of those times when she was finding herself with confidence and yet with a bit of trepidation as well. _Funny how you do both to me my sweet cook._

"I know. But I just wanted to go somewhere nice. And since I chose it's my treat." Emily put a finger across soft delicate lips that were aching to be kissed. It took everything in her not to act on that impulse and vowed that when they were in the car alone that she would allow that feeling to have free rein. "I know I promised you next time that you could treat and I will keep my promise. It's just I planned this one so my treat. We are going out tomorrow, right?" Sara nodded. "Then you plan Sunday. After all I have all day off for once."

"Ohhh." Sara's voice rang with the smile that was on her face. "I had forgotten that I actually get to spend the entire day with you. I'm going to have to put some thought into this." Emily started to act like she was afraid and the petite blond smacked her gently. "But we have a date to get to. So do I need to change?" The younger woman was wearing nice looking jeans and a nice cotton shirt. "What am I saying? Of course I have to change. So you go get ready. I'll meet you in half an hour downstairs by the back door."

Without a word the soldier made her way out the door and to her own room. She really didn't have that many nice looking outfits and had actually spent some time after her meeting with the general clothes shopping. Something she hated more than she could say. She had wrangled Jessica into coming with her and it had made the task a little more bearable. Of course knowing that it was for Sara made all the difference in the world.

Half an hour later they were standing at the back door. Emily almost lost her balance as her knees went a little weak. Sara had gone all out in wanting to please her new girlfriend. It was one of those spaghetti strapped little black dresses that barely went to her knees. There was a slit up the left leg that almost went to the hip. A ruby encrusted necklace was around her neck along with matching earrings. The soldier definitely felt extremely lucky tonight. "You look amazing!"

Not looking all that shabby, Emily was dressed in an actual dress. It was a basic plain bright blue pattern that gathered nicely at her rather full breasts. It had wide shoulder straps that were just off the top of each shoulder. Her jewelry was a bit simpler. There was a simple gold choker necklace that a heart hung from. Her earrings were crosses and accented the necklace quite nicely. It was the first time since her mother's funeral that she had worn a dress.

Sara watched as the normally sure tall woman was fidgeting. It was obvious that the woman was not used to dresses. It charmed the college student that her girlfriend was going all out for this date. It made her feel even guiltier about the background check she had her friend run. She was feeling better and better all the time that she had decided to stop her foolishness. "You look stunning." The petite blond made it within a foot of her girlfriend wanting to wrap her arms around her.

A visible blush was upon the tanned skinned woman. Her voice was still eluding her as she took in the amazing dress that her girlfriend had on. _She is one of those women that have a natural beauty. Wow! Everyone is going to be envious! Just hope there are no reporters. Shouldn't be but already had one scare._ "You are breath taking. You made my heart skip a beat." She took the smaller woman's hand in her own. As they stood there mesmerized a flash startled both of them.

Both women turned to see Cynthia standing there with a camera. She was beaming at the both of them. "I can't even begin to express how lovely you two look." Her attention turned to her employer. "You look even more beautiful than when you went to prom." There was a glint of a tear in the older woman's eye. While she was still afraid that her Lil Peanut was going to get hurt because of the deception by the taller woman. "You two have a good night."

Sara let go of Emily's hand and made her way to her friend. Without hesitation she took the older woman in her arms. This, to the petite blond, was just another example of how much more like a mother the cook had been over the years. "Thanks, Cynthia." She pulled back and looked her friend up and down. The older woman's attire was dressier than she was used to. "Are you going out as well?" Reaching up she straightened the collar of a blue silk shirt.

"No." Cynthia was suddenly red as could be. She could not look Sara in the eye. When her eyes strayed, they met blue ones. There was an understanding there. But how much did the young soldier really know? How much was she guessing? "I just thought it would be nice to dress up for once. Now you two get going. I don't want you late for your…" She trailed off as she heard a voice. It was Mrs. Kingston. "You better go now."

Sara kissed her friend on the cheek before making her way to the double door entrance to the kitchen which was already being held open for her by Emily. The raven haired beauty kept her gaze steady on the older cook just for a moment. _If what I think is going on than wow! That would mean mother and daughter are more alike than I ever thought._ "Goodnight, Cynthia." The soldier could not help herself as she winked causing the blush on the cook to deepen.

Emily quickly followed her girlfriend to the driveway. Walking in heels, though relatively low ones, was still something that she was having trouble with. Not even the last time that she wore a dress had she had on shoes with heels. Usually she was too self-conscious because of her height to add to it. At only two inches shy of six foot tall it made her standout except when she was in uniform. That was when her height actually came in handy.

As was the rule, Emily made sure and opened the car door for her girlfriend. It wasn't the fanciest of cars but it was not a beater either. In fact it was only a couple years old and practically in mint condition. They rode along in companionable silence for the longest of times. Sara reached over and put her hand on the leg of her girlfriend and gave it a squeeze. There was an instant smile on the slightly older woman's face.

Finally they arrived at the restaurant and the valet first opened the door for Sara. Of course Emily never waited and got out. She handed the keys to the man that she towered over. His eyes grew wide when he first got sight of her. Once again the raven haired woman began to fidget. Partly again it was the dress but mostly it was the height that bothered her. She relaxed a little when the petite blond took her hand and led her into the restaurant.

Though it was well past ten at night, the establishment was still quite busy. Emily had not realized but it was an elite place that people went to get privacy. She had asked Cynthia for advice on where to take Sara and this was the place that she had been referred to. The soldier had had to use the senator's daughter's name to get the table, a fact she hated very much. But the look of delight on her girlfriend's eyes made it well worth it.

They waited just a moment to be seated. The table was set for two. There was a candle floating in water in a crystal dish. It gave a nice glow as the rest of the restaurant was in relative darkness. Emily looked around and saw some of the elite influential people of Washington, DC. It surprised her to see that there were so many people there that you would never guess would be together. _I know Cynthia said this was for privacy but I believe this is one of those places people come to be themselves._

Emily ordered, with Sara's permission, sparkling grape juice. "You are underage and I don't drink." That was the short answer when the petite blond lifted an eyebrow in question to why the soldier had not ordered herself something with alcohol in it. "I've seen what it can do to people. I've never even been tempted." This was not the time or place to tell her that she had seen some fellow soldiers become inebriated when off duty only to be called to action. The results were not pretty.

"I've never had anything either even in England where I am legal to drink." Sara shrugged. "It's something that never appealed to me either. You go to a political function and see some drunken politician attempting to hit on everything that moves it turns you off from it." The petite blond's smile faded a bit as she remembered more than one occasion where one of her father's older friends had been the ones making a pass at her.

"I guess we have more in common than I thought." Emily reached across the table and took Sara's hand in her own. She gave the hand a gentle squeeze before bringing her hand back. A wink was given by her girlfriend before both went to studying the menus. The prices were outrageous but if the place was known for keeping the clientele a secret she could understand why. Still it was going to take probably a week's pay to cover the bill. Looking into green eyes made it worth it and then some.

They ordered and ate talking mostly about things that had happened over the last week or so to them. It just didn't seem to be the place to open up to one another. For Emily it felt wrong to truly talk openly in a place that was about secrets. While the anonymity was a good thing she was hating being where she was. Only thing making it bearable was the company she was keeping. For Sara, she was still feeling quite guilty about what she had attempted to do and was having trouble making more than small talk.

The soldier's cell phone vibrated against her thigh. It was encased discreetly under her dress so that no one would know that it was there. Emily excused herself and as she made her way to the ladies room she noticed a dance floor. There were couples of all sorts out there and it made her smile. _One thing that could be good. I can show off some of my moves._ The soldier went into the empty stall and pulled out her hidden phone. It was the general. There was a problem and she needed to get with him right away at his house.

Emily sighed as she put the phone back in its hiding spot. She had never disobeyed a direct order. She had never ignored an order. She had always done what she was told. And yet every fiber of her body was telling her to ignore the message until the next day. But the next day was supposed to be another date day with Sara. How could she go and see the general and go out with her girlfriend? Her mind was racing as she made her way back to her date.

From the back, Sara was just as stunning. Her blond locks were slowly growing out and now just barely covered the nape of her neck. It made the soldier want to nibble on the nape that was so teasingly exposed for her. Also, the dress was lower cut in the back than she had realized. The cute back muscles stood out against the dress and made Emily almost drool with the sight. She swallowed hard as she made her way to stand next to the petite blond. "Would you care to dance?"

As Emily had spoken, she was offering her hand. Sara looked around for the first time. This was a place she had heard of but never been in before. Of course she wondered how her girlfriend had heard about it but decided just to go with the flow of the solitude they would have for at least one night. The college student gladly took the hand that was offered to her. They walked side by side to the dance floor and arrived just as the music stopped.

They waited just a few seconds before the next song started. It was a slow dance and the smile upon Emily's face grew big. While she could dance to faster songs a good slow dance was her forte. She pulled Sara close to her body never allowing their eyes to break contact. She gently put the petite blond's arm around her waist while she put her hand on her girlfriend's hip. Their hands were joined together. A sensation ran from one woman to the other like they had been born to be together and were now finding one another after years of searching.

The soldier showed off her footwork and it surprised Sara. Of course the college student was quite the dancer as well. She had been taught to dance at the age of seven so that she could show off for her father's political supporters and the public in general. The petite blond had one good memory of her father while he taught her to dance. She was allowed to stand on his feet as they swayed to the music. It was one of her truly rarely happy moments with her father.

The two glided across the dance floor. It was as if they both knew what the other was thinking as they waltzed perfectly around. It wasn't long before all the other dancers were standing around watching them. They stopped whirling around and soon got lost in a tight embrace where they barely swayed back and forth. Their eyes locked and before they knew what was happening they had stopped dancing and were engaged in a passionate kiss.

Emily pulled her girlfriend so close that she thought she might hurt the smaller woman by breaking her ribs. For some reason she could not help it. She suddenly needed the closeness. She suddenly needed them to be as one. The music had ended long ago but neither of them had realized it. Hands were now wrapped around the raven haired beauty's neck intensifying the kiss. Finally when they broke to breathe they realized that the music had stopped and they were now the center of attention.

A cheer erupted from the crowd and two very embarrassed women leaned into one another. They hugged and then Sara regained her public bravado. She let go of Emily and started to curtsy which caused the cheers to get louder. It also caused the soldier to blush. But she went along with it and even pulled the petite blond in for another kiss before they returned to their table. It was Sara that found her voice first. "Well, that was something I'll never forget. You are incredible."

Emily took a big gulp of water. Partly it was just the physical activity that had gotten her so thirsty. Mostly it was because of the physical contact with the smaller woman. It was funny. They were about six inches different in height and yet they just seemed to fit in all the right ways. The way their bodies had melded together had just felt so right and it had ignited something in the soldier. Her libido was working overtime not that it didn't always just by looking at the petite blond.

Blue eyes twinkled from the compliment. Everything just seemed right when it came to Sara. Oh she knew that they were both very young and especially the college student had a lot of life to live. But so what? Why couldn't they be one of those couples that met young and stayed together until old age took them? That was putting the cart before the horse but that's how right they felt in the soldier's opinion. "You weren't so bad yourself. Where did you learn to dance like that?"

Sara's green eyes were twinkling. "I was going to ask you the same thing." She held up her hands in defeat at the look she was given. "I know. You asked first. It was one of the few good things that came out of my childhood. Father wanted me to know how do dance because of all the functions he knew I'd end up going to." She got a faraway look on her face as the memory washed over her. "I can still remember me barefoot and him in his socks. My little feet on his big sturdy ones." A sigh escaped her as the memory came to an end.

Emily could see the hint of a tear in her girlfriend's eyes and attempted to lighten the mood. But she had to be careful. This was one of those gray areas where if she were not careful she could end up lying to the sweet girl and that was the last thing, well besides hurting her that she wanted. "As I told you, after my parents both died I was raised by my brother. Kinda. Really it was my father's commanding officer, the general that raised me. He is the one that taught me to dance. His wife Martha had said that every lady, no matter if they were more tomboy, should still need to dance."

Of course what she could not tell her was that the general had heartedly agreed because he knew that she wanted to follow in her parent's footsteps and become a soldier. Under rare circumstances being able to dance would come in handy. That was why he had learned to dance and it just made sense that he pass it down to the next generation. Again it was not a lie that she had just told Sara. But it was not the whole truth either.

"Martha sounded really sweet. Almost like one of those grandmothers that's always trying to get you to eat and making some kind of cookies or cakes." Sara had that on her mother's side of the family. Her paternal grandmother was sweet but had never really been a homemaker as she had always had servants to cook and clean for her. She had been the true epitome of a society lady. "I'm sorry I'll never get to meet her."

"Me too." Emily got really serious. All the memories of her childhood that she tried keep buried were getting to her. "I wish you could have met my parents." Her face was taking on a look of pain and Sara quickly was by her chair an arm on her shoulder. "I'm starting to forget them. And my brother won't talk to me. He's ten years older so he would remember better than me. God I hate him sometimes!" With that, the petite blond sat in the soldier's lap so that she could wrap her in a big hug.

At first Emily was quite startled by the public display. She knew where she was and it was technically safe but she had never been one for hugs and definitely not with strangers watching her. Of course half the time one if not both parents were out of the country and it was Martha or Jessica that was kissing her booboos and hugging her. Once the scent of her girlfriend washed over her she could not help but be completely taken over and relaxed into the embrace savoring the feel of it.

In fact, it relaxed her so much that tears did manage to escape the soldier's eyes. It was a very long time ago since she had cried. And yet somehow Sara managed to get her to relax both physically and emotionally as this was the second time that tears had been allowed through the tough exterior. It was a wonderful feeling knowing that someone cared so much and that she felt so at ease that she could just let herself go. And yet, it was terrifying as well.

Sara looked up and saw the tears that were rolling down the angular cheeks and smiled sadly. _On the outside you are the toughest person I know. Definitely are one of the physically strongest ones I know. But emotionally you are just like me at least deep down inside. You have a depth that I'm just starting to get a glimpse at._ The petite blond reached up and began to gently wipe each tear away. The dark haired woman's first instinct was to brush away the touch but then remembered who it was. She could be vulnerable with the woman attending Oxford.

Emily tried to speak but her voice was a little husky from the crying. She cleared her throat and tried again. "As much as I love you sitting on my lap, and I really do, why don't we get out of here? I know a place that serves ice cream even at…" She glanced at her watch carefully so that she didn't drop her precious cargo. "Midnight." Blue eyes blinked a few times as a couple more unshed tears were released and her girlfriend gently wiped away.

The petite blond understood. It was one thing to hold one another and even kiss but to get this emotional and cry in front of a bunch of strangers had to be embarrassing. Reluctantly the college student stood up somehow managed to bring her girlfriend with her. Sara watched as Emily picked up the check and got her wallet out of where the blond could not tell. The soldier put down several twenties before she turned around and linked arms with her girlfriend.

They waited patiently for the valet to bring the car. "I hope you don't mind a bit of a drive. The place I know is out in the country a bit." Sara was still leaning into the taller woman even though they were outside the safe confines of the restaurant. Part of Emily wanted to caution her but the feeling of the younger woman leaning against her made her feel so good. "It'll be worth it, I promise. They have homemade ice cream in about thirty different flavors."

Sara looked up at the sky why they were waiting. The moon was not quite full but it shown down brightly as did an array of stars. There was just the hint of clouds that occasionally floated by blocking part of the bright rays. The summer air was still warm but not oppressive. The humidity was almost nonexistent. It was, she decided the perfect day. It had been the perfect date. The only thing better would have been if they could have talked more about their pasts. But enjoying the present was just as important to the young woman.

"Sounds yummy!" Sara squeezed the arm that she was clutching as if her life depended on it. "I like anything chocolate just to let you know." That got a chuckle out of the taller woman. The night just seemed like it should go on forever things were going so well. The valet finally brought the car around and Emily opened the door and made sure that her girlfriend was settled in before closing the door. "Why thank you kind lady," was said through the open window.

Emily smirked trying not to laugh out loud. She wanted to tell Sara that she was no lady but then remembered that she had a dress on and it kinda defeated the image of her on the back of a motorcycle, horse or driving a huge old tank across the desert. That was going to be quite a shock to the slightly younger woman's system when she saw the pictures of the soldier cruising along the sands of the Maranjab Desert in Iran.

As Emily was making her way to the get in the car, there was movement behind them down the street. Her blue eyes had always been able to see better than most even at night. It could have just been someone walking but they appeared to be dressed all in black. That was unusual especially given the temperature of the evening. The soldier followed her instincts and put in a text message to both the general and Roberts just in case something happened.

It wasn't long before they were cruising down a wide country dirt road. They had left the pavement about a mile back. Sara at first was a little apprehensive about driving on a dirt road until she realized that the woman driving was experienced. The senator's daughter had lived a sheltered life and never driven on anything but paved roads. Of course half the time she was being chauffeured around even in England she had her own car but also a driver.

This was different and she was enjoying it very much. They had the radio on. It was playing some older light rock 'n roll music. Sara was surprised when her girlfriend began singing along. Not that she started singing but just how wonderful the sound of her voice was. She blended in beautifully and part of the petite blond wished that she could hear the talented voice of the cook alone. _Maybe someday I'll get her to sing to me._

Emily's grip on the stirring wheel tightened suddenly. The slightly older woman's entire body stiffened and Sara looked at her in concern. It was taking everything for the soldier not to tell the younger woman what was going on. They had someone on their tail. It was probably the same one that she had thought that she had seen when she was getting into the car at the restaurant. Her one hand quickly went to her cell phone. "Send messages. Off."

Sara looked at her and wondered what the woman was up to when all of a sudden there were lights flashing in the mirror. It blinded the green eyed woman. Somehow Emily kept control of the car and managed to keep sight of the fortunately wide road. The soldier had no choice but to try and get away from the car though driving that fast on a loose gravel road could and was quite dangerous. Luckily this was required training in all vehicles in all kinds of road conditions for the Special Forces soldier.

The frightened young blond managed to get one hand on her girlfriend at the same time having a vice like grip on the handle on the door. There were screams echoing in her head but somehow they were kept right there. The lights behind kept flashing from dim to bright and Sara could tell that they were getting closer. It seemed that no matter what Emily did, the car followed. The soldier even took a hard right turn and almost spun out in the process.

For a moment the car behind them either lost them or lost control. Sara looked back into the dark her green eyes wide with fright. She still wanted to scream but she was literally too frightened to do so. When the lights came back out of nowhere the blond quickly turned her attention back to the front of the car. More precisely she focused on the woman in the driver's seat. Emily was so calm, cool and collected it was as if she had been through something like this before. But that was ridiculous, right?

"Hold on!" Emily's voice shattered through what little thoughts that Sara was managing to have. "Brace yourself." The petite blond looked at her girlfriend and glanced behind her and understood. The vehicle was apparently done playing and was going to ram them. The college student turned around and closed her eyes. She put one hand on the roof and the other kept its tight grip on the handle of the door. Her heart was pounding so loudly it was thumping in her ears.

That's when it began. Emily cursed as the first blow from behind actually picked up the back wheels of the smaller vehicle. From what she could tell in the dark the vehicle had to be a big Ford Explorer or a Chevy Tahoe or something along those lines. It also had one of those ram bars on the front like police vehicles do. Somehow the soldier managed to get more speed out of the small car and the rear end fell to the gravel almost causing yet another spinout.

"I've had enough of this." Emily did something that no one, not even herself would have expected. She slammed on the brakes causing the small car to start into a spin. From many hours of practice she righted the car and managed to avoid the larger vehicle as it had started to spinout when it too had slammed on the brakes. The soldier gunned the car once more and was flying down the road. The car kept trying to lose traction and the hind end was swaying back and forth.

The bright lights of the SUV behind them told her that somehow the larger vehicle had managed to right itself. She cursed in a language that Sara didn't recognize. The way the college woman was feeling right now she wasn't sure if she would recognize English let alone whatever foreign language her girlfriend had just spoken. They were almost to the road that she had turned off from when red, white and blue lights were flashing coming at them at a great deal of speed.

Emily managed to slow the car down quickly but without losing control. She sat there for a moment watching as the first of several police cars went flying by. The last one stopped and a female officer stepped out of the driver side while a tall male officer stepped out of the passenger side. They held their guns out across the window standing behind the metal doors for protection. The female officer barked out, "Turn the engine off and put your hands in the air out the window. Then open it slowly. That goes for both passenger and driver."

Both Emily and Sara complied with the police officers. They both put their hands in the air as the petite blond came slowly to stand next to but not right against her taller companion. The almost full moon finally came out from underneath the small cloud burst and the two companions could see better as could the police officers. Quickly both officers put their guns away. The female officer made her way directly to the tall dark haired woman while the male one took the blond one in the opposite direction.

In a voice so low that most people would probably not be able to hear it, the female officer spoke quickly. "I'm Officer Weston. Cranberry nuggets." Emily smiled at the stressed look on the officer only to have it relieved when she spoke. "Strawberry pellets." Officer Weston seemed to relax instantly. The soldier figured that this was one of the first covert operations that she had ever been involved with. "Captain House, the general says that you are to get Sara settled and then get to his house. ASAP. There are several unmarked cars on the main route back to her residence. I suggest you take it."

Emily nodded absently. Her mind was already going a mile a minute. _How am I going to explain this to Sara? We were chased and rammed into and then all of a sudden there is the Calvary coming charging by and then talks to us both separately? And then I have to ditch her instead of snuggling with her and comforting her? No! That is not going to happen. For once, House, you are going to disobey an order._ "Actually she's coming with me to the general's."

Officer Weston blinked several times not expecting this. She had been told that only the captain would be going to the general's house. "Ma'am I'm afraid that only I can escort you to the general's. The girl has to get to her home and remain there." The shorter but plumper woman crossed her arms over her ample chest. Her blue eyes were pale in comparison to the brightness of Emily's and they were no match when it came to the stare down that had begun.

"Take us both home and I'll drive her on my Harley." Emily mimicked the officer's pose. Only she seemed so much more intimidating than the other woman. It was not because of her height advantage. There was just something about the soldier that screamed 'don't mess with me bitch or you'll be eating your dinner through a straw for a month'. It came out as clear as day and the dark haired woman could tell that the officer was clearly rattled.

"Fine. But it's your ass on the line." Emily watched the officer go back to her squad car. She barked some orders about a tow truck and the fact that two were coming in instead of just one. Instead of hanging up the microphone she threw it back into the car. She motioned for both the soldier and the college student to join them. "We'll escort you back to the residence. After that, you two are on your own. Are we clear on that?"

Emily nodded knowing that a lot of things were about to happen. Her career in the military was probably about to go right down the drain. She was going to lose the respect of a person that meant the world to her. But the worst thing was that most likely she was going to lose Sara because she was going to finally come clean about everything. It had never felt right lying to her in the first place. This was exactly what she had wanted to do from the beginning.

Green eyes questioned her and she sighed heavily. This was not the place to talk but she had to tell Sara something. "We're going to your place to get changed." Sara was about to say something but the soldier kept talking so that she would not get a chance. "For now all I can say is that I am not exactly who I say I am. And that you are in more danger than originally thought. I'm sorry. It's lame but it's all I can say for about what you are going to learn."

Sara leaned back in her seat. Her first instinct was to take Emily's hand in her own. This time it was not the fact that there were people watching them as they sped down the dirt road back the way they came in the back of the police car. It was because she knew that tone of voice. Her father had used it with her many times over the years. She knew right then and there that her life was about to turn upside down and she might just lose the most important thing that had ever happened to her. A solitary tear ran down her face as she watched the lights of town growing brighter. She sighed and felt her heart break just a little.


	8. Chapter 8

Ellen Kingston was in a part of her home that she rarely went anymore. It was a place she at one time had thought of as her haven. But over the years, she had decided that it was best if she push that side of her life away. If her husband were to ever find out about what she had been doing from time to time over the past twenty plus years it would have been grounds for divorce. Sometimes she wondered if it wouldn't have been best to do that anyways.

The only time that Ellen felt alive was when she was in the arms that were wrapped around her now. She was snuggled up to Cynthia. The slightly taller woman had her head against the blond head that was on her shoulder. The senator's wife had her arm draped across the stomach of her lover. It felt right when they were holding one another like this. But in her day and age one could not be like this. Her life had been in the political world even when she was younger. That was how she had met Henry.

Of course if she had not met and married Henry she most likely never would have met Cynthia. She certainly would not have had a love affair that spread across two plus decades either. Their love seemed to be stronger than what she shared with her husband. Of course she had been wondering for years whether either of them had ever truly loved one another. They both had had their political ambitions and in the blond's mind they had merely been using each other all of these years.

Ellen rubbed the stomach that was underneath her palm. ""I'm sorry." Ellen started to get up when she felt the arms wrap around her tighter than they had ever held her. It was not quite to the point that she was being suffocated but at the same time it was with every ounce of love that the cook had in her heart for the other woman. "I promised myself that I wouldn't do this to you anymore. It's not fair. All these years we've been together. You could have found someone else. Had a family of your own." There were tears stinging at the corners of her eyes.

"Don't be sorry." Cynthia squeezed her lover before she eased up on her near death grip. "We may not have spent our lives side by side like you and Henry but I know where your heart has been from that very first time we kissed." That got a small sigh out of her blond lover. "I don't think we were ever meant to be together like that. Love is love though. I have and always will love you. Besides I do have a family. Sara is as much my daughter as she is yours."

Ellen rubbed the stomach that was underneath her palm once again. "You're right about that." She got a sad tone to her voice. "I think sometimes that Sara wishes that you were her mother and not me." The protest that was on the cook's lips never got to be said as quickly the petite blond continued. "It's all right. Because of Henry's impossible schedule, neither of us have really been parents to our daughter. And when I'm home all I seem to do is upset her by trying to fix her up with some nice man."

"And that just goes over so well." That got a little smack against the stomach that had been being rubbed. "Ouch!" That was quickly followed up by a quick kiss. "Ok. You're forgiven." Once again the blond head was lying against the cook's shoulder. The scent of lilacs invaded her senses and made her forget for just a moment what she was going to say. "About your daughter. I think you and Henry need to back off when it comes to trying to set her up with anyone. She's a grown woman. She knows what she wants."

That caused Ellen to lean on her elbow so she could look into her lover's gray eyes. It was rare if ever that Cynthia actually talked to her about how to deal with her daughter. To the senator's wife, her daughter was sweet, intelligent, kind but also a little rebellious at times. Sara was definitely headstrong not unlike the older petite blond. "Is there something that you know that I should know?" Her green eyes pleaded with her lover.

Cynthia sighed heavily wishing not to have taken the conversation in this direction. It was a dangerous line that she was currently treading. Part of her wanted to tell her lover that her daughter was not only an independent woman but also was a lot more like her mother than either of them truly knew. But it was not her place. Not because she was the cook but because it was up to the younger Kingston to tell her mother the truth. "I'm just saying that she is young. She wants to find her own path in life."

Ellen eyed the woman that she loved almost more than anything. Her daughter was the only thing that truly meant more to the petite blond. There was still hidden meaning in her lover's words. But she knew by now that Cynthia was one of the strongest minded people that she had ever met. There was no way that she would ever break a confidence, especially one that her daughter had entrusted her with. "I think I need to have a talk with my daughter."

The cook sighed heavily. This was not what she had exactly meant to do. Although getting mother and daughter to communicate was always something that the hazel eyed woman was always trying to do. With all that was going on with Sara, much of which no one but the two cooks knew about, it was definitely time that her young friend had support of at least one parent. "I think it best that you do. But don't go in all forceful. Be gentle and try and let her do the talking."

The petite blond was about to say something else when familiar voices could be heard just outside the door. "Shit!" It was rare indeed that Ellen swore. Her ladylike breading had forbade her to do something so but one of the voices was her daughters. "Is she talking to the new cook?" Cynthia cringed at how her lover didn't even know the raven haired woman's name. "Are they?" There was talk that could just be heard and the senator's wife knew a kiss when she heard one.

With a speed that Cynthia had not seen her lover move since the last time that they had almost got caught skinny dipping in the pool two summers ago, Ellen was dressed and out the door. Her hair was still askew and her clothing was wrinkled and not tucked in. It wouldn't look too good but she just had to find out if what she thought she heard was true. The petite blond snuck around the corner to where Emily's room was.

Sure enough, the young couple were still in a full out kiss. Ellen's stomach churned and her heart did several flips as she took in the sight before her. She shook her head trying to get the image to go away but it was still there. _Wow! I guess they are young enough that oxygen isn't as important as it is to us older people. That kiss could melt lead it's so…Wait. This is your daughter you are talking about. This isn't right. Is it?_

The petite blond watched the younger version of herself walk down to the main living area of the house while the new cook made her way to the corner room. Ellen had to flatten herself into the little cubby that was the small space of one of the windows. There were a couple of plants that made it easier she hoped to blend in behind. As soon as she heard the both doors shut she made her way back to her lover's room. She stood their glaring at the still naked woman in the bed. "You knew, didn't you?"

Cynthia slowly got out of bed and put on her yellow terry cloth robe. She tied it loosely shut and crossed her arms over her ample chest. "I've known that Sara was a lesbian since she started high school. As for her seeing Emily well that was something that surprised me." _If only I could tell you the rest. That your daughter's life is in danger. I should. But I promised Emily that I wouldn't say anything. Sometimes life really is not fair._

Ellen opened her mouth like she was going to say something but quickly closed it. It was a lot to take in. Her mind was now on overload. Her daughter was a lesbian. _Just like her mother. Oh your father is going to have a heart attack when he finds out._ A heavy sigh escaped the petite blond and she leaned against the closed door to her lover's bedroom. Green and hazel eyes met for a long moment. "I guess I really should have seen this coming. All those times she didn't want to go out with the men I set her up with I just thought that she was being rebellious."

There was a silence that settled over both women. Ellen reflected on the image that she had witnessed in the hallway. Emily that was the tall woman's name. The way that she looked at her daughter it was obvious while maybe not exactly love but there was a deep depth to her feelings. A very similar look was on her daughter's face as well. They were both dressed stunningly most likely just having gotten back from a date.

The petite blond once again sought out her lover's eyes. The simple look that she received gave her a strength like nothing on earth could give her. Arms opened up and it wasn't long before once again Ellen was wrapped in the strong arms of her lover. It was a lot to take in. The biggest thing would be telling her husband about it. _No, that can wait. I want to talk to both Emily and Sara before I go and involve Henry._ "Thank you. I wish…"

Cynthia pulled back and hushed her lover with a gentle but loving kiss. "There is no need to be sorry. There is no need to wish things differently." Her hazel eyes twinkled hoping that she was conveying just how much she loved the other woman and how happy she was. "I knew twenty some years ago that when I kissed you this was most likely to be our life. I'll take the little moments that we can steal. It makes it that much more special."

There were tears in Ellen's eyes as she thought about the second half of her life. The early years of course had been fairly simple. She did what she was told. Went to school where she was supposed to. Married who she was supposed to. Moments like this were stolen moments of true happiness that were too far and few between. "I don't want my daughter to have to hide who she is. I don't want her to miss out on a full life with the woman she loves."

The cook kissed her lover on the top of the head. They simply held one another. Cynthia knew that once Ellen got an idea in her head there was no stopping her. Still she just hoped that her lover would not do something that could upset what was developing between the younger cook and the younger Kingston. And yet she wanted so badly for her Sara to find true happiness that her heart hoped that this was all happening for the best of reasons. All she could do is hope.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Emily had really had hopes for a different ending to their date. She wasn't expecting anything intimate other than maybe kissing. Having to be escorted home by the police and a trip to her commander's house still looming were not her idea of fun. The car ride home had been quiet. It had almost been eerily quiet. At the moment they stood on the landing of the second floor. One way led to her room. The other to her girlfriend's.

They were still both in their dresses though their hair and makeup had seen better days. The cook knew that her girlfriend was confused by what had happened. She knew that Sara was terrified as well. The soldier could not blame her as she herself was confused by what had happened. It just wasn't adding up. The threats, she knew, were real. However this didn't seem to be the way that any of the suspects would go about dealing with their prey.

The couple stood staring into one another's eyes. Emily could swear she heard a door open and soft footfalls but at this point she was more concerned with her girlfriend than someone in the house. All the employees of the household had checked out. The threats were coming from somewhere as far away as England. "I'm sorry our evening was cut short. I'm sorry if it was ruined." The taller woman reached out and gently caressed a cheek.

Sara leaned into the contact. She was still afraid of what was going to happen. Emily's words about not being who she said she was kept echoing in her mind. It made her afraid for what the dawning day would bring. And yet she still felt so safe and loved when she was around the cook that part of her felt that they would be able to get through anything as long as they were together. "It was a beautiful evening. I want to thank you for a good time. I hope we can spend time tomorrow…" She glanced at the grandfather clock that was on the opposite side of the landing. "I guess I should say spend time today together."

A breath caught in the soldier's throat as she thought about what she was going to have to do in just a few short hours. They were both to go to the general's house and Emily was bound and determined to lay it all on the line. "I'd like that. Right now we both need to get changed. We both have to go somewhere that is safe. And I hope that we can talk and you'll understand when I have to tell you some things that I hate that I've kept from you."

The college student looked up into pained blue eyes. There was something so honest about this woman that even though there was dread there and worry about what was about to happen she knew without a doubt that she could trust this woman with her heart, her body and her soul. "We all have things that we don't like about ourselves and our lives. A real couple works through all that. And I happen to think that we can and will be a great couple."

Emily almost choked on the emotions that were exuding from her girlfriend. In her short time on the earth she had never expected to find something like this. Only knowing each other for two weeks and yet they seemed to have known each other several lifetimes. Now it was time to take a hold of the gift that she was being offered and the rest of the world be damned. The only thing that mattered anymore was making sure that the woman that standing before her putting her heart on the line was happy.

_I'll do that for the rest of my life if you let me._ The soldier leaned down and quickly the college student closed the distance. At first their lips simply brushed against one another. But that was only like the fuse that was being lit as their lips came crashing together. They moaned at the sensations and Sara was sure that she heard a deep growling in her girlfriend's chest. It was primal. It was fierce. It was scary. And the petite blond knew that it was only for her.

"I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes. I wish we could just curl up together and snuggle the rest of the night." Emily's blue eyes held a sadness now. It was definitely as if she knew something that the younger woman did not know. "Just wear something casual. Sweats and a T-shirt will be fine. I want you as comfortable as possible although we will be riding my Harley so…" Her words were cut off by another deep and passionate kiss.

That got a goofy grin on the cook's face. She looked down into green mischievous eyes. _If only we had the time, my love._ Emily winked at her girlfriend. It seemed to settle the petite blond. They looked longingly at each other for several moments before they went their separate ways. It took the soldier only a few moments to get cleaned up and changed into pair of black sweats and a bright blue T-shirt. She was about to get her computer out when there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

One of the last people that Emily thought she would see slowly made her way just inside the room. Green eyes and blue eyes met and a dark eyebrow raised in question. Ellen Kingston stood with her arms at her sides almost as if they were in a surrendering stance. The older woman shifted a couple times before she managed to find her voice. "I'm sorry that we never got to officially meet. I know your name is Emily. I have to ask one thing and I'll let you get back to my daughter." The soldier nodded. "Are your intentions toward my daughter, um, honorable?"

The soldier stiffened. The older woman had no idea what she had just asked. When you ask a soldier about honor it ran five times as deep as it did for civilians. There was also the fact that Mrs. Kingston had no idea who she really was or why she was really there. Mr. Kingston did but would be hard pressed to share that with his wife and certainly not with his daughter. "I assure you, Ma'am that I care deeply for your daughter. As I told her things are complicated. And I can't reveal everything right now. But in time I hope that my actions or lack thereof will one day be understood."

_Cryptic. That could be taken a lot of ways young lady. I hope that doesn't mean you are already on a path to hurt my little girl._ "Sara is very understanding and very forgiving." Green eyes got sparks in them as she looked at the younger woman. "I however am not so forgiving or understanding. At least not when it comes to my daughter's happiness. I'll be watching you. I'll be watching you both." Without another word the older woman turned on her heels and left the room.

Emily shook her head wondering just what else could possibly happen to them this night or should she say day. She looked at the alarm clock by her bed and noticed that it was nearing three in the morning. It made her wonder what Sara's mother had been doing up at this hour and definitely made her wonder what she was doing on this side of the stairs. Of course the most important thing was how did she know that she and Sara were dating.

The soldier pushed all these thoughts to the back of her mind. Oh she would not forget them but keep them in mind to ponder about later. She pulled out her laptop and quickly logged on. There were no new e-mails and nothing from her contacts. The general had not gotten back to her either. It was a little odd and she wondered if the general had decided to keep her out of the loop until she reported. That was always a possibility.

The raven haired beauty tucked her computer back in its hiding spot. She glanced at the mirror in the bathroom and decided that it was as good as it got under the circumstances. The soldier made her way out of her room and down the stairs. There was a light on in the kitchen and assumed that it was Sara. Sure enough, the petite blond was over by the coffee maker. The smell of freshly brewed coffee hit the cook and she almost drooled at the smell.

Sara turned to look at her girlfriend and once again the soldier began to salivate. Emily took in the red sweat pants and a black long sleeved T-shirt. Without even thinking about it, the cook said, "You look amazing." The college student gave her a questioning look as she was in one of her frumpiest outfits. "I think you could make a garbage bag look amazing." The soldier closed the distance and pulled the younger woman into her arms. It just seemed that they fit together in so many ways.

The college student laid her head on a strong shoulder. Being a senator's daughter she was used to stressful situations. She was also used to the unknown. There were countless times when her parents had rushed off for some unknown reason leaving her alone with usually only Cynthia to watch over her. Though there was uncertainty with Emily it was different somehow. It was not a worry that she would be abandoned someday but more of not knowing what the future held for them for already she was beginning to scarily think about their future in terms of forever. Was it too soon?

"Thanks for making the coffee. We have time for one quick cup before we really should get going." Emily wanted to say so many things at this moment and time. But what could she say that would not get her into more trouble? The trouble that she was worried about was not from the general but the smaller woman that she had wrapped tightly in her arms. _I've got to tell her so many things. One of them is that her mother knows somehow about us. Wonder if Cynthia had anything to do with that?_

Sara really just wanted to stay wrapped up in this warm soft cocoon that she was enveloped in. Never having had any lovers, she wondered if this was what if felt like to be totally, completely and passionately in love. The few that she had dated, men or women, it never even came close to this. The smell of Emily was intoxicating and all she wanted was to lead the tall woman back upstairs and stay like this forever. Of course if something else were to happen she would not object.

Sighing heavily the petite blond made her way to the cupboard. Gracefully she pulled out two mugs and poured the coffee making them to the liking of each which was ironically exactly the same which was two sugars and just a drop of creamer. She handed the blond steaming liquid to her girlfriend. Instead of sitting they leaned on the counter and slowly sipped their caffeinated hot beverage. The minutes ticked away and before either of them knew it was now four in the morning.

Emily stretched and put the empty mug in the sink. Sara did the same. The soldier held out a hand which was gladly taken. They made their way to the motorcycle that sat polished and ready to go. The hairs on the back of the taller woman stood up. As she handed her girlfriend her helmet, she scanned the house. There were three figures in opposite sides of the house staring at the couple. One she knew was Cynthia. Sadly she knew that the other belonged to both Ellen and Henry Kingston.

The soldier got herself settled on the two wheeled powerful machine. Over her shoulder and just loud enough for Sara to hear she said, "Hold on to me tight. I don't ever want you to let go." She smiled when she felt the small but strong arms wrap tightly around her. A contented sigh escaped her. Truly she would be happy if it were not for the fact that all Hell was about to break loose. Without remorse, she spurned the Harley into life. The roar was almost deafening. Inside she was grinning at all the people that she had so rudely awoken.

The motorcycle roared down many main streets until it got to the outskirts of the large city that was basically like a small country in and of itself. Washington, DC was one of the more interesting cities in the United States. One could find heaven, sin, honesty, corruption, fighting, peace, memorials, and desecration all within a couple square miles radius. It was not a place that Emily liked at all. And here she was trapped in it and had been since she signed on with the Army and the general.

Finally on a very narrow paved road that was about twenty miles out of the city limits Emily pulled into the very familiar driveway. Though it was only recently that the general purchased the home, they had taken there her many times as family gatherings were held here. Extricating herself from the tight grip reluctantly she helped Sara ease off the monster of a motorcycle. They both stored their helmets. The soldier ran her hands through her disheveled locks. "When we get in there I want you to go with Jessica. She's the general's housekeeper."

There was instantly a fear in the smaller woman's eyes. That got the petite blond a gentle kiss on the lips and another heartfelt hug. "I'm not abandoning you." Words could easily get her in trouble and words were not her strong suit. Emily sighed heavily choosing what she wanted to say in a way of explanation. "The general wants to talk to me alone. Maybe it's because he's known me since I was born. I don't know but I do know that I have to follow orders."

The last few words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Green eyes locked with hers for a moment. The fear had been replaced with a look of questioning once again. Emily cursed herself. The last thing she needed was for her girlfriend to start asking questions that at the moment she was not in the position to answer. Of course if things did not go well with the general she just might not care if she was supposed to follow orders or not.

Sara sighed. There it was again. That honest but not totally honest vibe that she got from her girlfriend. _'Follow orders'? What exactly does she mean by follow orders? She's just a cook that has traveled the world, right?_ The petite blond suddenly felt something click into place. It was like a light bulb came to life. But she was going to push those thoughts aside and wait. Wait until she hoped that Emily trusted her enough to tell her or was able to tell her. Whatever the case might be.

When Sara didn't say anything, it got Emily a little worried. True she had been quiet in the police car. And she had been quiet when she had gotten hurt and they had ridden back to the stables. Those were all stressful times. Otherwise the petite blond was a bit of a chatter box. The soldier sighed heavily hating what the situation was doing to her normally bright and vibrant girlfriend. Once again the soldier offered a hand which was taken and they made their way to the door.

The door of course was already open. The figure of the housekeeper stood there in a ratty looking orange terry cloth bath robe. The lack of sleep was evident by the look on her face. Emily sighed. The life of a soldier was difficult. The life of a soldier's family was even more difficult. "Jessica, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Sara." The soldier managed a playful wink given the seriousness and the stress of the situation.

The older woman's eyes grew big at the admission that the two younger girls were more than friends. It was more than surprising especially since the last time only a few days ago that Emily had left and said that she could not admit to having someone special in her life. The housekeeper took in the look upon her friend's face and knew that it was one of 'those' times. "Why don't I get to know Sara a little bit better? Come to the kitchen with me. I have cookies I made yesterday."

Sara once again was feeling a little unsure of herself. It was funny to her to feel that way. All of her life she had managed to somehow remain in charge if only weakly. This time there was no control left for her and she knew that she was simply handing over her feelings, her heart and everything to the dark haired woman. "That would be nice especially if you have a glass of milk to go with them." Green eyes locked with blue for just a moment before the smaller woman was led into the kitchen.

Emily steeled herself as she made her way down that long hall to the general's study. There was no need to knock as the door was mostly open. Nathan Adams was sitting at his desk a pipe churning away. The younger soldier knew that was not a good sign as he usually puffed away on his pipe when he was frustrated or upset. _Most likely he is both right now._ A huge sigh escaped the raven haired beauty. She immediately stood at attention and she saluted her commanding officer. Right now he was simply her general and not her friend.

The general lazily returned the salute. He was beyond those kinds of formalities at the moment. He wanted nothing more than to pull his protégé from her assignment but knew that he could not for a list of reasons that went on and on the biggest of which was orders. "You really have screwed this one up." His words seemed to send daggers into the young woman's emotional façade and he could see the flinches when he said it. "First off someone has been doing a background check on you."

That caused Emily to come out of attention. _I thought I had alerts in place when something like that happened. Something is not right here. I'm starting to wonder if it was Sara they were after tonight or if it was me._ "Things are not going well." There was a low groan that came from the general. "And I don't just mean the incident tonight, Sir. I mean I asked for information and it was withheld. I had to go to outside sources to find out that some of the e-mails have been sent from England. And you know I have alerts built in whenever anyone tries to do backgrounds on any of my aliases."

Nathan's posture had been stiff from the very beginning somehow managed to stiffen even more. "I was afraid that the attack tonight wasn't what it seemed." The older man stood and came to the front of his desk where he began pacing. "I don't have much experience with stalkers but usually what they do is from afar. There are those that get bold and try and break into houses and such. Maybe even bold enough to get a snippet of hair. But usually they don't try and harm the one that they are stalking. Unless…"

Emily picked it up uneasily. "Unless they've been doing it for a long time and have escalated." She too didn't have a whole lot of experience with stalkers. Her missions were usually more upfront. Hell her missions were basically to go in and kick ass and take no prisoners. This was another reason she wondered why she had been chosen for this particular assignment. Usually not one to question orders she just had to know. "I know I'm not supposed to know but how did I get this assignment?"

The general knew that Emily would not ask something like this unless she thought it was crucial. This was one mission that was about to explode all around them he could just feel it. Their eyes locked for a long moment. Suddenly Nathan understood the need to know that was driving the young soldier. _She's in love. I never thought I'd see her in love._ The old man sighed. He knew his time in the Army was almost up. Of course he would have liked to go out without a mar against his record but he suddenly knew that was not possible. "The senator asked for a female operative. Someone that might be able to get close to his daughter and yet he wanted it not known it was him. Hence the attorney general. Someone that…"

Emily had heard enough. The bile was building up in the back of her throat threatening her to lose what little bit of food remained after such a long time since they had enjoyed the amazing dinner. That already seemed like a lifetime ago. "You mean that son of a bitch wants…" She couldn't even finish the thought. What little she had dealt with her girlfriend's father now made everything make sense. He had been taunting her into defending Sara so he'd know that her feelings had grown for his daughter. "Son of a bitch!"

The general was not happy with this. The term 'just following orders' just took on a whole new meaning for him. This was beyond abuse of power. The senator had hoped that by getting a female operative that was a lesbian would then lead to the distraction of that operative. _They don't know Emily House at all. In fact her feelings will only make her more focused. And put her and Sara in more danger._ "My hands are officially tied. Unofficially I'll try and support you in any way that I can."

The raven haired woman nodded absently. The words barely penetrated her mind. Her mind was racing on a contingency plan already. _I think your summer just got a lot more interesting, Miss Kingston. I just wonder if you'll be willing to do what I have in mind now._ "Thank you, Sir. I, um, I think I need to get out." It was code and she knew that her commander would understand. The soldier was planning on leaving the state and maybe even the country.

The soldier saluted her commanding officer she hoped not for the last time. He retired soon and she wanted to get back so that she could officially salute him again. Hell she needed to get back so that Sara could lead a normal life. After all of this, knowing what her own father was up to, there was little to no way that her girlfriend could ever consider having a normal life again. The raven haired woman took off for the kitchen to find Sara and Jessica deep in conversation.

Emily was sure that the housekeeper had been keeping her entertained with all the little stories she knew about the soldier's childhood. Normally this would embarrass her but right now she had too much on her mind. "Sara." The harshness of her tone was not what she had wanted to convey. Startled by the sound of her girlfriend's voice Sara quickly stood up and came to stand by her. With a lot of effort, the soldier managed to soften her tone. "We need to talk. And we need to get moving. Now."

Sara could not understand what this was about. She had been enjoying her visit under the circumstances with Jessica. In fact, the older woman reminded her in a lot of ways of Cynthia. It was nice having someone like that around. As she felt a strong hand on her arm actually hurting her with the intensity of the grip she began to drag her feet. "You're hurting me!" The fear was plain in her voice and it caused Emily to let go. "You're also scaring me. What is going on!"

The soldier reached out to take her girlfriend's hand only to see Sara flinch. Emily cursed inwardly. She motioned to the living room and knelt in front of the petite blond once she had settled in a chair nearest the fireplace. The raven hair lowered for a moment. Partly it was to gather her thoughts and partly because she was ashamed she had hurt the college student in any form. Finally she looked up into green eyes that seemed to look directly into her soul. It frightened the soldier immediately.

This time her heart fluttered in relief when there was no hesitation when Emily reached for the smaller hands of her girlfriend and the petite blond allowed the touch. "There is a lot to tell. But with things happening and fast I'll have to brief you." She could almost see the look on Sara's face recognizing the word choices. "I'm not a cook. I'm a Special Forces operative in the Army. I was assigned to protect you from threats being e-mailed to your father. The attack last night, that was about this. I need to get us to safety. Not even the general can help us with this. Not after what I've just learned."

Sara eyed her girlfriend. It was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard in her life. And yet the honesty that was on Emily's face shown truer than anything that the college student had ever seen before. "You're not a cook." The soldier shook her head. "You're a soldier." There was a nod to affirm what was just said. "And I'm in danger and you are to protect me." Again there was a nod in the affirmative. "What about my parents? The rest of the family?"

If Emily had thought that she could not love Sara more than those words proved that she could. She smiled sadly. "That's what I was trying to leave off." The soldier took a deep breath before she told her girlfriend the rest. "While I'm not sure all threats are coming from the same place I do know without a doubt who is behind one of them." The raven haired woman made sure to keep her gaze locked with green ones. "Your father."


	9. Chapter 9

It seemed like silence had become second nature to the usually bubbly and chattering Sara. Granted she was on the back of a roaring, fast moving motorcycle but still she made no effort what so ever to even attempt any form of communication other than holding on for dear life. While she had only known the soldier, which was hard to take in, for just over two weeks she trusted her with her life. It was like there had been this instant connection between them at the diner not that long ago.

Her mind was racing with so many things. It was only just a short time ago that Emily had opened up to her about her past. Now she had to wonder if what her girlfriend had told her was the truth. Never had she gotten the feeling that the raven haired beauty had lied to her. Withheld the truth, yes she had done that. But to out and out lie, no. Still there was a lot that was going on and to sort it all out was going to take time. Time that they obviously had plenty of.

At first Emily had said that it was unwise to go back to her girlfriend's childhood home. But then the soldier remembered that her computer was there along with a few other gadgets that she had tucked away. They also would need different changes of clothing as the Special Forces operative had little money stashed aside and was cursing herself for that. Normally she had a few emergency stashes set aside but she had just gotten back from her last mission and had yet to replenish her supplies.

The soldier still hated this. Hated that Sara had found out this way. Not so much about the threats or the fact that her father was behind one. No, what she hated was the fact that she had not been able to come clean with the college student before having everything explode in on her. It was definitely not the way that she had planned things. Of course she had never planned to develop feelings for her charge either. That was a private's mistake. Or was it just fate?

Emily mused over that thought for a bit. Normally she was the stoic soldier that only believed in the luck that you made for yourself. Everything was not planned out for you as some say. But the trick was to just keep your head and do what felt right what felt natural. This assignment went against that grain especially since they had met one another in the diner just before the assignment had been given to her. Then there was the instant attraction and connection that the soldier felt.

The motorcycle roared into the driveway of the mansion. It was, Emily mused, small for a mansion. But when you had servant quarters that meant it was a mansion. Instead of parking in her usual spot next to the garage she parked close to the kitchen door. She waited for Sara to slide out from behind her. The dejected way that her girlfriend was walking and she knew that they would need to finish that conversation and quickly. "You go gather some things. Pack light yet pack for everything. Please."

The last word got a sad smile out of the petite blond. Even in the short time she had known Emily the older woman had always taken charge. It was something she had noticed that it seemed easier for the raven haired beauty to give orders rather than follow them. _That should have tipped me off that there was more to her then met the eye. And yet…do I really care?_ She absently ran a hand up and down the bared skin of the soldier's left arm. "I think I know exactly what to pack." A bare whisper of a wink and she was off towards her room.

Emily stood blinking for a moment not believing that Sara had managed even that tiny bit of playfulness. _Perhaps she has a soldier at heart. No, I just know that she is strong as well as having that heart of gold. I'll be one lucky woman if we can get our relationship to survive._ The soldier quickly made her way up to the servants' quarters. It was nearing eight in the morning already and knew that the first order of business after getting packed up was stopping at the diner to get her girlfriend something to eat.

"Emily?" The soldier turned at the sound of her voice. She had almost made it to her room when she'd heard the soft footfalls and hoped that she could make it there before getting caught. The tall woman sighed heavily and turned to look into green eyes that matched her girlfriend's. "Are you and my daughter going to be all right?" The usually confident older woman stood shifting nervously from one foot to another.

"We will be if I have anything to say about it." Emily eyed the older woman for a moment. The posture reminded her of what Sara had been having since finding out that there was more to the young woman than just being the cook. Though they had only had a brief interlude with one another a part of her ached for the older woman. The thought of when she found out what her husband was up to just made her cringe. "If you want to talk to her I hate suggesting hurrying but we will be leaving soon."

That got the blond head that had been slumping slightly to full attention. Her green eyes sparked with what the soldier assumed were annoyance and of course questioning. "You said that your intentions towards my daughter are honorable." Summoning the courage that she used when she faced her husband she moved within an arm's length of the taller woman. "Has that changed? I mean, you are taking her where?"

Emily really knew she didn't have time for this. But she also wanted to maintain the somewhat positive relationship between her girlfriend's mother and herself. "I assure you, my intentions haven't changed." The younger woman took a chance and took a step closer to the petite blond. _How do I tell her that in the blink of an eye the situation turned from manageable to who knows what is going on? _"The only thing I can say for now, Ma'am is that I'm going to take care of Sara. I will lay down my life if I have to to keep her safe."

Ellen blinked several times. There was such an intensity radiating from the tall raven haired woman that it made her take an involuntary step back. That was done just with her eyes and her words. She wondered just how lethal the woman was with her body. "For some reason I believe you." Mrs. Kingston took in how the powerful muscles shifted under the tight cotton T-shirt. "I'm more worried about her emotionally than I am physically."

Now it was time for the soldier to shift nervously. Emotions were not her strong suit. In fact, this was the first real relationship that she had been in. The other one, the one that left her scarred, had been more of a working relationship with feelings having developed along the way. Rather deep feelings that neither had been able to deal with. Still she knew in her heart that she would do anything for Sara. What she was doing now proved this as she was willing to go off the grid for her. "I am too. I've not been in a serious relationship before. But I do care for her and will treat her the way I would want to be."

Mrs. Kingston nodded her head in approval. The words were right and the sincerity seemed to be there as well. She was like her daughter having been in the political world all her life and could easily tell a lie from a half lie and from the truth. The woman standing before her was being honest but how honest with herself was she being that was the question. "I'm going to go have a chat with my daughter. If I don't see you before you leave please be careful in whatever it is that you have to do and please keep my baby safe."

Emily's blue eyes were full of confusion as she watched the petite woman walk away. _I don't know if I'll ever understand politicians or their families. Well I hope I understand the daughter of one someday._ That caused a warmth to flood through her. It was not a feeling that she was accustomed to but liked it very much. She watched until the older Kingston was at Sara's bedroom door before she went into her own room to gather everything she hoped she would need and some things that she hoped she wouldn't. _Gonna have to stop at my apartment before we take off._

Meanwhile just down the hall there was the softest knock on the closed bedroom door. A voice that was weaker than Ellen ever remembered hearing it answered. Slowly she opened the door. A twin set of green eyes stared back at her surprise so easily evident in them. "I'm sure you were expecting Emily perhaps." When the younger Kingston started to speak the older one put up a hand in silence. "I know about you two. I know that I'm losing my daughter. For how long I don't know. I wish someone would tell me what on earth is going on."

Sara finished putting the light sweater into the duffle that already contained various clothing from summer to fall. She knew that Emily's motorcycle had little storage so she was trying to keep the packing to a minimal. That was something she was not used to as a senator's daughter but for her girlfriend and the situation she would do anything. Roughly she zipped up the bag and slung the long handle over her shoulder. "I think you should talk to Dad for at least some of the answers."

The younger of the two petite blonds started for the door only to have it blocked by her almost equal body double. The older Kingston was an inch or two shorter and her hair was longer almost down to her waist. Their green eyes were the only thing that truly mirrored each other as Sara was a bit more muscular in build not that her mother was not a good looking woman in her own right. "First your Emily is cryptic about what is going on and now you tell me to talk to your father. You know we don't communicate except for when it helps his political career."

"Must be why I've turned out so well." Sara hadn't intended the flippant remark but her emotions were on edge after having almost become road kill only a few hours ago and the fact that she had been up for over twenty four hours now. Plus the cryptic way that her girlfriend was acting about the situation and her past. "Sorry about that." She sighed heavily and absently played with the handle on her duffle bag. "I don't know what I can share with you or should share with you. Dad kinda forced it that way." The shrug almost dislodged the bag from her shoulder but she caught it easily.

Ellen pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and her finger trying to ward off the headache that she felt coming on. There was the lack of sleep thing that had been pleasant. More than pleasant. But there had also been an argument with her husband about his late night activities. Of course he was either blind or didn't care about her own. She had to have smelled, if not of sex, at the very least of Cynthia's perfume. "I guess I deserve that for the way that I raised you. Or should I say the way that Cynthia raised you."

Sara quickly put the duffle bag down and took her mother into a hug. Of her two parents she had always been closer and more like her mother and not just in looks. Her mother also was known for doing charity and unlike her father it was to actually help people and not just paint that wholesome public image. She pulled out of the hug a sad smile upon her face. "You were right there with her, Mom. I love you, you know." That brought a genuine smile to both women. "I'll try and keep in touch if I can."

The younger woman picked up her duffle and her mother made room for her to get through the door. Standing at the top of the staircase was Emily an unreadable mask on her face. She turned back to her mother. "I can't say why exactly but I feel safe when I'm with her. I feel like I'm home when I'm with her. I just know that I feel so good whenever I'm around her. So I'm putting blind faith into her and into our relationship. I don't know if you can…"

Her words were cut off by a kiss on the cheek. Ellen's mind went back to how she felt every time that Cynthia held her. She went back to just every time that they were able to steal a glance here and there with hopefully no one catching it. Then there were the 'accidental' brushes whenever they were in the kitchen. "I think I understand better than you think." Their twin colored eyes met for a long time. "I'll explain when you are finally back home."

Sara pulled her mother into a one armed hug and patted her back. She pulled back and placed a gentle kiss on her mother's forehead. "I hope that it is soon but I have a feeling this might be a little bit." Ellen put a hand on each arm and gave her the 'look'. The one that meant stay here. The college student glanced over her shoulder to find the still unreadable expression on her soldier. Her head turned when she heard her mother come back. An envelope was shoved into her hands and she was roughly forced to start walking toward her girlfriend.

When they got to the taller woman Ellen looked back over her shoulder glad that at least so far her husband had decided not wake up. Never had she been as quiet as she had been then when she had entered her own bedroom to find Henry still snoring away. Luckily what she was after was not in the safe and she made quick work of retrieving the envelope and giving the contents to her daughter. "I'm taking a lot on faith her from both of you. Be careful and come home safe. That goes for both of you."

Emily almost jumped when the unfamiliar hand reached out to gently stroke her cheek. She was still not good at the emotional and touchy feeling things but figured that she'd just go with it at least this one time. "Thank you, Ma'am." Sara actually chuckled at the use of the respectful name that her girlfriend had used for her mother. "What? I am a soldier." It had slipped out before the raven haired woman could stop herself.

If Ellen caught the slip she never let on. Instead she simply patted a cheek on the younger woman and turned to go quickly turning back and looked her daughter directly in the eye. "Maybe you can learn to be a little more respectful like your girlfriend is." A bare ghost of a wink so much like what her daughter had given the soldier earlier and the older woman was off. But they watched, one in mild surprise and the other in shock when she didn't go to her husband's room but instead that of Cynthia.

"I'm not sure I want to know." Sara turned and finally saw something beside that stoic mask that had been on her girlfriend's face. Instead she thought she saw something that was half bemused and half understanding. "Do you know something that I don't know?" Blue eyes traveled up and down her body making her shiver in delight. It was a feeling she was not used to at least not yet. Oh both men and women gave her appreciative looks but nothing that had jolted her to the very core like what her girlfriend had just done to her.

"I can only guess what it's about and if it's what I think," Emily got a smirk on her face and started to quickly descend the stairs. "You definitely don't want to know." The deep rich voice drifted up the stairs. That too sent a jolt through Sara. They made the rest of the way in quiet until they got to the Harley. "We're going to make a stop at my apartment. Maybe we'll switch to my other vehicle." The soldier took the duffle bag and managed to get it in the side compartment. Her bag and computer fit easily in the other side compartment.

"I'm looking forward to seeing where you live. I'm assuming it's not the barracks." Sara took the offered helmet and buckled it with an experienced hand. They hadn't been on the motorcycle that many times yet it seemed to come natural to her as riding a horse did. She waited for Emily to get settled before getting on the back of the large two wheeled vehicle. Part of her wanted not to have to wear the helmet so that her cheek could feel the muscles of her girlfriend through the thin cotton T-shirt she was wearing but knew that safety came first. Still didn't mean that she couldn't fantasize.

"Sometimes I live on base. But I also have an apartment. Now, hold on tight." Though Sara actually said nothing Emily could have sworn she heard 'with pleasure'. Perhaps that was wishful thinking on the soldier's part. They took off slowly and darted down the long driveway easing onto the road. The raven haired woman realized that she hadn't been to her apartment since before she had been sent overseas over six months ago. Jessica always checked on it once or twice a month so she knew it would be all right but still how safe a place was it to take her girlfriend?

Emily decided she would wait until they got a little closer to decide just how safe it was. There was no doorman. There was no security pad. All there was was a buzzer. Push one long enough or wait until someone was on their way in or out and you could get in easily. The back door luckily locked automatically when you exited so it would be a little harder to get in that way. There were no video cameras either. For what the soldier's life was before it was perfect. But with Sara in tow it was not perfect anymore.

For Sara it seemed to take forever to get across town. The little apartment complex that they pulled up in front of somehow didn't surprise the college student. It was a simple building that looked like at one time had been a three story house. It was in the historical section of Washington, DC which just seemed to fit what little she truly knew about her girlfriend. That was something she was going to rectify over the next coming days, weeks or months. Whatever it took she was going to get to know Emily like the back of her hand.

The soldier held the motorcycle steady as Sara slipped off behind her. They put their helmets in the storage areas. Tentatively it was the petite blond that offered out a hand. Of course Emily gratefully took it. This was just so unreal. Just a couple weeks ago the soldier had just returned from a long mission in the Afghanistan deserts. It had been hot and uncomfortable and she had been looking forward to a little time off.

What she got was more than she bargained for. They made their way to the door and instantly Emily put herself in between the opening and her girlfriend. Pulling out her key she cautiously opened the door. The soldier heard not just one but two clicks and cursed out loud. "Go back to the motorcycle." It was in a no nonsense tone of voice. Green eyes meet blue ones and the soldier sighed in frustration. _She is never going to listen to me, is she?_ "At least stand back a little."

Sara nodded and took a couple steps down giving her girlfriend the room that she had asked for. She watched in awe as the tall dark haired woman moved with more speed and grace than anyone she had ever scene. _Where did she get those tools?_ Emily had a very small tool set and was working on taking off the door handle. Another curse escaped the tanned skinned woman before a tiny smile was curling her lips. She took the round door knob and tossed it in the air catching it before throwing it into the trash bin at the corner of the building.

Emily held up a hand cautioning Sara not to move just yet as she opened the door carefully. Stuck to the other side of the door near the handle was some gray substance. Even the college student knew exactly what it was. Carefully the soldier walked through the door and motioned for her girlfriend to follow her. Not sure she wanted to and yet somehow the petite blond was helpless not to follow the taller woman. "That wasn't actually real." That got an eyebrow raised. "That was a warning. Too easy to disarm if it was real. You still want to go up to my apartment? Top floor."

The petite blond captured the blue eyes in a gaze trying to decide if her girlfriend was just crazy or if this kind of thing happened to her all the time. Either way it was a little disconcerting to the slightly younger woman. Still when she looked into the depths those blue eyes held she knew in an instant that she had nothing to worry about. This woman had protected her before and would protect her throughout the fabric of time.

"Top floor, huh?" Emily simply nodded in response. Sara looked around the hallways taking them in. The building was older but in very good condition. The paint seemed fresh and it just felt like a warm place. "I can't wait to see your apartment." They walked linked arm and arm to the elevator. It was one of those old cage style ones. Like the rest of the complex it seems to be well maintained. It was a silent ride as they made their way to the top floor.

Emily led them to the last apartment away from the elevator. It was near the window that had a fire escape attached to it. The soldier checked out the entire door to make sure there were no more surprises. The key never shook in her hand as she turned it slower than normal. This time there was only one click and she opened the door wide. "Normally I'd say ladies first but please allow me." Sara nodded in understanding staying just in the doorway.

A gun suddenly appeared from nowhere. Once again it left the petite blond wondering exactly where her girlfriend had kept that hidden. Seeing her with the gun held tightly in both hands and stalking like a silky black panther made her heart skip a beat or two. Her mouth suddenly went dry as she watched the tall graceful woman move stealthily from room to room. Finally the raven haired woman put her gun back in the holster at the small of her back making Sara wonder how she didn't feel it on the ride to the apartment.

"Well come in and see where us simple folk live." Emily saw the wince at her choice of words and chastised herself. "Sorry." Sara came up and placed a small kiss on her lips. It was the last thing that the soldier expected and she got a goofy grin on her face. It faded away rather quickly as she realized something. "Um, there is nothing at all in this place to eat." The rumbling of her girlfriend's stomach caused her to laugh. "A little early for delivery. Want to go to the diner? It's only a mile down the road."

Sara shook her head. The thought of even going to the place where they first met had no appeal for the young woman. In fact traveling at the moment just was not appealing at all. It seemed like it had been forever since she had slept. Though her stomach was a little grumbly from being empty she really only wanted to sleep at this point and time. "Actually is there any way we could take a nap? I know we need to get going but…"

Emily put a finger on her girlfriend's lip to stop her from talking. "I am a bit tired myself. Um, you can take the bedroom. I'll sleep on the couch." The soldier didn't see the look on the petite blond's face as she made her way into the back of the apartment toward the bedroom her girlfriend in tow. Sara took in how there was just a tiny living room with the couch and an old television. The kitchen wasn't much bigger. There wasn't even room for a table of any kind. There was only one bathroom and only one bedroom. It would leave some feeling quite claustrophobic the space was so sparse and confined.

The soldier went immediately to her small dresser and pulled out two oversized T-shirts. On her it would go just above her knees. On Sara it would be well past her knees. She handed one to her girlfriend and the other slung over her shoulder. "I'll go and change in the bathroom." As Emily started to leave she was stopped by an arm through hers. The soldier felt a sensual jolt just at the proximity and the gentle touch of the younger woman.

Sara reached up and put her hand firmly behind Emily's neck. With a strength that surprised the soldier, she pulled the dark head towards her. Their lips just brushed gently at first. Then they pressed solidly together. It was the college student that gently slid her tongue across the lips not just asking but demanding permission. Though the raven haired woman knew that this was probably a mistake at least until they were more secure in what was happening she couldn't help but relented granting access to the insistent tongue.

They stood there for what seemed like forever letting their tongues dance. It was like there was this music that each woman could hear as the tango inside their mouths went on. Finally needing oxygen Emily pulled back looking at her girlfriend with a question in her eyes. "Not that I didn't appreciate and enjoy that very much but I thought you were tired?" Part of the soldier was terrified if what she thought could happen next actually did happen. To be honest with herself, she just wasn't ready yet.

"I am." Sara took the long sleeved T-shirt and turned her back to the soldier. "I just wanted you to know that I don't mind if you stay." A shuffling noise and the petite blond assumed, rightfully so, that Emily had turned to give her the privacy that the college student required. "I want more." There was an intake of breath from the woman behind her. "But I'm not, um, well we've only known each other for a couple weeks. I am so physically attracted to you. And I have feelings for you like I've never had for anyone else. It's just…"

Emily had finished getting out of her clothing and into what she always wore as a nightgown. Waiting until she was certain that Sara was finished changing she turned around looking at the smaller woman intently. There was a twinkle in the blue eyes. It was not a mischievous one but one of desire and of understanding. She held her arms open and only after a moment's hesitation did the petite blond throw herself in the tight embrace.

The soldier inhaled the scent that was the woman in her arms and let it fill her completely. "I've never been in a real relationship before." She felt the body relax a little in her arms. "But I have gone out with other women and there was one..." Emily trailed off not ready to talk about her past just yet. "And I agree with you wholeheartedly. I have never felt like this before. I think about you all the time. And it's not just because it is my job to keep you safe. Ever since that first meeting at the diner I just can't seem to get enough of you. But I'm not ready for it to move past the kissing stage either. But someday…"

It was what Sara had been hoping for. Things were moving at lightning speed in her life ever since she had met Emily that she wanted to take a step back and just discuss certain aspects of their relationship before she moved on to the apparently more difficult things. After all it seemed that they were on the same page and that was a wonderful feeling. "Snuggle with me and talk to me?" There was a sadness in the voice that came out of the college student.

The tone almost broke Emily's heart. She instantly knew why. What she had done to Sara was the same thing that her family had done to her over the years. No one in her family had ever really treated her like a human being. The only thing that they really ever expected out of her was for her to be a puppet to an extent. She was expected to play a certain role and to make sure that she did nothing to embarrass her family. It was her family, especially her father that should be embarrassed.

It was like those other times that it had happened and yet it was different. Emily was picking up the younger woman in her arms before she even thought about it. Slowly she made her way to the double bed still careful of her braced knee. That would be needed for another week. Sara freed one arm and pulled the blankets and sheets back. The petite blond slid over to make room for her girlfriend after being gently placed upon the bed. The raven head fell back against the pillows in a half sitting half laying position. The blond head found a strong shoulder to lean on as arms by both women were wrapped around the other.

"I want to say I'm sorry but I think that it is pointless." Emily felt her girlfriend take a breath to speak but quickly continued. "Pointless only in the fact that I, in my mind as a soldier, had no choice. It's one of the few things I hated about being a soldier. Always having to follow orders even though in your heart…" A stray tear was allowed to roll down her cheek not unnoticed and was gently kissed away. "That's a story for another time. I don't want to depress you or tell you something that heavy…"

Sara finally did interrupt what her girlfriend was saying. "First off, I appreciate you saying that you're sorry and that you hate just following orders." She tightened her grip around the slightly taller woman feeling the heat rising off the strong body. It was not a sexual heat so much as just one that spoke to the volume of the strength in the muscular body she was lying against. "And you can tell me anything you want to. Someday, when we're old and gray, I want to be able to say I know everything about Emily House."

That got a small sad chuckle out of the soldier. "Sorry. I like the sounds of the idea. It's just that…" Emily closed her blue eyes and so many acts of violence both in war zone and in her life in the states flashed through her mind. Already she had lost her parents and a woman that had almost been her first lover to the ravages of war. Now she was being faced with the same thing with Sara. "With what I've seen and what I've done I don't really talk about the future. Especially I don't talk about it in decades."

That made the petite woman feel profoundly sad. "You mean you've never thought about…?" When Emily shook her head 'no', an aching formed in the petite woman's chest. "That is so sad. That is so horrible. I mean, I've never been one to look that far into the future either. At least not until I met you. Then something clicked." There was a slight hitch in the breathing of the woman lying beside her. "Am I scaring you by saying that I can see a long term future for us?"

Emily's mouth went suddenly very dry. Her mind was a buzz and making it very hard to think clearly. It took her closing her eyes and going into a mediation that she used before going into a dangerous mission. She had not used it when she started this one because she had thought it was just a harmless mission that she never should have been on. _So? What is it you think Em old girl? Is she scaring the camel dung out of you?_ "I don't know if I'd say 'scaring' me. Just it's never something I ever thought about until…"

"Until I just mentioned it?" When there was no response Sara knew that what she suspected is right. "That is an awful life to live." Her grip tightened on the older woman. It wasn't long until she felt the wet warmth of fresh tears coming from her girlfriend's eyes. "And I thought that living a life filled with indifference was horrible." The petite blond sighed heavily. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Perhaps we have come into one another's lives for a reason. I mean I didn't used to believe in fate but ever since I first laid eyes on you I just knew I was destined to at least be friends with you if not more. I'm glad for more."

The soldier just lay there holding the petite blond in her arms. The thoughts that were running through her mind were foreign to her. They had been foreign ever since her brother damned her for her attraction to other women. Often the soldier wondered what her parents would have thought if they'd been alive to see how their daughter had turned out. They would definitely be proud of the soldier side of their daughter. But what about the rest?

It was a glum thought and she was getting tired of these deep dark depressing thoughts. It was time to look for what little bit of positive there was in the world especially now. "I'm definitely glad for more." She hugged the small bundle that was so conveniently wrapped in her arms. "I just have to be honest with you. I'm not sure how this will all play out. Say we get past everyone that is out to get you and maybe me…" She heard the sharp intake of breath from her girlfriend. _Didn't consider that did you my lovely young girlfriend. _"What kind of life are we going to be able to build?"

It took a moment for Sara to realize exactly what her girlfriend was talking about. Emily wasn't so much worried about what they would do to earn a living. There was always something that either could do to at least make it so they survived comfortably. Perhaps it would not be the life that the senator's daughter was used to be but she would not care about that. All that the college student wanted was to find true love and happiness. That was something she was sure she could find with the soldier.

"In my studies at Oxford we came across some things that were from the ancient Greek times. The times when they still believed in the gods." Sara took a moment to gather her thoughts to make sure her point was made properly. "There were tales of how it used to be everyone had two heads, four legs, four arms and one soul. One day the gods, Zeus I believe, separated them. It is said by this myth that people spend their lives trying to find the other half of their soul."

Emily swallowed hard at the thought that brought to her tired and overloaded mind. If Sara actually believed what she was saying that she thought that they were soulmates and that one day they would find true happiness? "Are you trying to say…" There was the feeling of a nod that came from below her chin from the blond haired woman. "Um…" The soldier was at a loss for a moment as to what to say before a large smile was on her place. "So you're saying that no matter how our family and friends see us it doesn't matter. All that matters is that we've found one another."

That got a smile on the college student's face. There was definitely still a lot for the couple to think about. There was her mother to worry about. But there was one thing that she knew for sure. She was safe and strangely felt free in the arms of the taller woman. While it was true that Emily was one of the strongest people both physically and mentally that she ever had known that was not why she felt the way that she did. It was because it was like she had the other half of her soul watching out for her.

The thought was comforting and instantly the petite blond fell into a deep sleep. Emily however was not quite so lucky. Her thoughts were along the same lines at least as far as her relationship as with Sara. But what was keeping her up were the whys. Why was it that Mr. Kingston wanted to do this to his daughter? Perhaps he was worried about her outing herself and therefore shaming him. But why intentionally place her with a lesbian? Granted one that was not out and proud but still was very much into women?

There were other thoughts that were causing her lack of sleep. The touch of the cool metal on the bed stand of her gun comforted her a little. But the questions of who had been checking her out and why had her alerts not gone off? True that Sara's father was a very powerful man but even a senator's power only went so far. Unless…There were some more shocking and not so pleasant thoughts about the man going through her head.

Instantly she was afraid for both Ellen and Cynthia. If the senator was more than a senator it would explain a lot of things. Of course there was still the nagging feeling that someone from her own past was behind not the threats on Sara but the attempt at running them off the road. That could be why the security by Roberts had been so lax. Perhaps he was on the take and being paid off but by whom? It could be the senator. It could be from so many from her past.

Emily tightened her grip on the soundly sleeping woman in her arms. Her blue eyes were bloodshot they were so tired. It was time to push all the nagging questions out of her mind at least for the time being. She would not do her girlfriend or herself any good if she didn't at least get some sleep. Eyes blinked a couple times before she finally let herself drift off. Her dreams belied her relaxed state as the nightmares once again took over. Soon she would be screaming in both her dreams and in real life.


	10. Chapter 10

Emily was startled awake. There were a few factors that had caused her to wake up in the manner that she had. The first was the unusual but pleasant sensation of someone sleeping next to her. That had not happened, at least pleasantly, since just shortly after she had joined with the Army. It was one of those moments when she really shouldn't have been doing what she had but then again had done it anyways. And in the end it had caused her the greatest pain since her parents had died.

After realizing where she was and who it was that was still pressed so tightly against her long body it actually made the tall woman smile. She lay there for a few moments before she managed to get herself extricated from the beautiful blond woman. Taking care of nature's call she then quickly made her way to the kitchen to take inventory. To her surprise there was actually food in the house. But that made her wonder. No one knew she was coming back to the States. Not even the general knew until last minute and even then she was immediately given the orders to report to her newest assignment and therefore wouldn't need the apartment.

Whenever the general was aware of her arrival Jessica always made so that the basic essentials were in the house at least the things that would not spoil just in case her orders were changed. Well orders now were out the door and she knew that she had only spent two nights in the apartment before going to the base to get her new orders and then train with the cook. After the harmless warning on the entranceway door she was not going to take chances.

Quickly she checked to see that her beautiful blond girlfriend was still sleeping before she made her way to the empty wall in the living room. It looked really bare and there was a reason for that. Emily pulled out her wallet and pulled out what looked like a credit card. She put it smack dab in the middle. There was a low beep and she then put her one hand on either side of where the credit card had been placed. Another beep and she was putting her eyes just above the middle of the wall.

A buzzing sound was next before the soldier took a step back and waited patiently. The wall split and folded in on itself revealing many draws and a safe. Quickly she gathered up the fake IDs, the untraceable cell phones, dummy credit cards, the extra weapons, and finally the little bit of money that she had set aside. She still cursed herself for not taking time to have the general replenish her supplies. A good soldier would be prepared.

Sighing heavily she went to the small hallway closet that had her winter coat as well as a duffle bag and her bowling ball. She looked at the heavy ball and for a moment was a bit saddened. When she was younger it was one of the few things that her brother actually encouraged her to take up after their parents' deaths. His family along with her belonged to a bowling league. It had been fun and she had loved every minute of it seeing how her brother pretty much wanted nothing else to do with her the rest of the time.

Pushing the swell of emotions down Emily grabbed the duffle bag and headed back to the wall. She unceremoniously shoved everything in the duffle careful to put the extra weapons and ammo in the very bottom. Before she could put the wall back to its normal status there was a sound from the doorway. A disheveled looking blond woman was standing there staring at the opening. Quickly the soldier closed the secret compartment not that there was anything left inside.

The couple stared at one another for a moment. Emily had to admit that her girlfriend looked very good in her old gray and white T-shirt. Sara looked around the room. It was as if she was trying to scan every nook and cranny to see if there was anywhere else that had anything hidden behind it. The petite blond began to lean on the doorway with her arms across her chest. Her green eyes went to the wall and then to the duffle bag. She wondered just what else her girlfriend had hidden.

"Afternoon." Emily cringed when it was apparent that her girlfriend was not going to say a word. She looped the duffle over her shoulder and set it in the hallway before she made her way to stand right in front of the petite blond. She looked down into curious green eyes. "I do have a few surprises. I've been in the army for over four years now." It was a shy admission not really wanting to make a big deal out of it. "Sorry that I have so many secrets."

Something brightened the mood of the petite blond considerably as a huge grin broke out on her face. With a great burst of speed she had herself wrapped around the taller woman. Their lips were soon locked in a gentle and teasing kiss. "I guess I'm still getting used to all of this. Us going on the run. You being in the Army and not a cook. Seeing you having some hidden compartment like that was just, well, it was a lot to take in."

Emily shrugged still holding the smaller woman close to her. "Lying to you was not something I ever wanted to do." She felt the deep sigh that escaped the petite blond as Sara had laid her head on her shoulder. The warm breath on her neck was doing something to the soldier that had never really happened. In fact she could feel both her nipples hardening. It was a unique but nice feeling. "I've lied most of my life it seems. I realized I was gay young but refused to tell anyone. Then I go into Special Ops and well…"

Sara silenced her girlfriend in the most pleasurable of ways. Once again her lips captured the slightly older woman's. There was more than just a teasing in this kiss. It was full of the emotions that were bottled up in the college student. While they had only known one another really for about three weeks there was something about the soldier that had stolen the petite blond's heart. In fact it, to her, was love at first sight at the diner. Speaking of which, "Do you want to stop by the diner before we go wherever we go? You can say goodbye to Charlene that way."

The blue eyes were unfocused and the owner of said gorgeous eyes were having trouble letting the words sink in. The kiss had been…It had been different from all the other kisses they had shared. Really they had so few kisses in their budding romance but still there was something different about it. There was hardly any tongue. It was basically just their lips crashing against one another and yet there was so much intensity behind it that it took the soldier's breath away.

Her mind was whirling and Emily wondered if perchance her girlfriend felt the same way that she had. It had taken some reflecting when she had the chance to come to the conclusion that it was just an instant physical attraction to them when they saw each other at the diner. No. It was far more than that at least it had been for the taller woman. Though it took a bit to realize it she now knew that Sara had not only affected her physically like no other but also emotionally. _She stole my heart that night. And I can't be happier. Really._

There was a goofy look upon the soldier's face as she let the emotions wash fully over her. It was amazing with just one look or a simple touch all that Sara could communicate to her. Definitely it was like nothing she had ever been involved with and she could not have been happier. Finally it sunk in about the diner and she had to agree that she was starving. They would be traveling a great deal of distance the rest of the day. A full stomach would be a good thing. "That would be good. Charlene has been through this before at least sorta. She knows I'm in the Army and it can take me all over the world on a moment's notice. At least this time I won't be lonely."

_If I have anything to say about it you'll never be lonely again. But we have a long road ahead of us for now. I just hope it's not as complicated as I'm afraid it is._ Sara leaned up on her very tippy toes and managed to kiss her girlfriend on the tip of the nose. "You won't be lonely as long as you have me around." She then placed a kiss on her chin. "I tend to talk quite a bit as I'm sure you've noticed. Works well with the strong silent type that you are."

Emily chuckled at the thought. It was true just how opposite they were in most things. She was tall while Sara was short. She was already out in the world while Sara was still at college. That however was not meant to imply that the younger woman was naïve or stupid just that she had not the experiences that the older woman had. She was quiet while Sara was a talker. She was a little bit more casual whereas Sara liked to be a little more dressy in what she wore.

Of course they were also a few things that she knew that they were already alike. Both loved horses. That was something that the soldier was going to miss about her girlfriend's childhood home. They both loved riding on the motorcycle but that was unfortunately going to have to go in storage. It just wasn't practical moving around so much and with weather it could get uncomfortable to travel on. They both had a voracious appetite and were not afraid of spicy foods.

"I am a little tight lipped." Emily put her arms across the shoulders of the petite woman. She really was loving the feel of being with Sara and not having to lie. There would still be things she had to hold back if only to protect the younger woman and of course those things she could not tell because of national security. "But I'm sure there are things that you can do that will loosen my tongue." Instantly there was a bright red tint to the soldier's face. "I cannot believe I just said that!"

Sara laughed and kissed her on the cheek. "Come on. I think that you are just suffering from low blood sugar." She pulled so that her girlfriend would follow her. "I want to take a quick shower before we leave." Her eyes got a little glint to them. Though she knew it was too soon she could not help but suggest what she was about to. "I don't suppose your shower is big enough for two." There was a sharp intake of breath and a dumbstruck look on the soldier's face. "Relax. I'm just teasing. It's too soon to share a shower." The college student released the larger hands and took one step into the bathroom. "Yet."

The door closed in her face and the dumbstruck look remained until Emily thought about it. _Yeah. We will one day share a shower or a bath or whatever together. Damn! Now I need a cold shower._ The soldier made her way to the bedroom and picked out some traveling clothes. There was a need to blend in so she decided against the Army T-shirt as well as the Family Guy T-shirt and settled for a nice light red short sleeved T-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts.

Emily sat on the bed and waited. She wasn't sure if Sara was one of those people that took forever in the bathroom or not. When they had gotten ready for their one and only real fancy date they had both been quick about it. In fact she was surprised when she heard the water shut off and glanced at the bedroom door. It wasn't long before the vision to form in front of her. The soldier's mouth got dry and her palms started to sweat.

The beautiful greened eyed angel in disguise was standing there with nothing but a medium sized total wrapped around her. There were still water droplets glistening on her skin. It took every ounce of willpower for Emily not to go over there and to begin to lick off all the excess water. Her heart was pounding and there was definitely a wetness between her legs that had not been there before. Part of her wondered if Sara knew exactly what she was doing or if she was just not thinking.

When green eyes met blue ones there was the deer in the headlight look from the petite blond who tried quickly to return to the bathroom. "It's all right." In a flash Emily took her clean clothes and made her way to the bathroom. "I'll be just a minute. Help yourself to anything you think will fit you of mine." She winked at her girlfriend but her bravado was quickly fading. As soon as the bathroom door was shut she was tearing her clothes off and turning on the cold water only.

The icy spray caused her to yelp slightly but at the same time it helped to chill her suddenly very heated skin. _I have to say if just seeing her like that makes me this turned out I can't wait until I'm able to actually see her in all her glory._ There was another bit of warm moisture that blended with the cold water and Emily inwardly groaned. _This is going to be a long road trip. Staying in hotels or even sleeping in the car. So close to touching something I want so badly. But I can't. It has to be right. The very first time has to be special especially for her. Nothing but the best for my Sara._

Soap just happened to get in her eye at that moment as she was so distracted by her thought. _My Sara? I know we are dating and I have a feeling it is going to get serious for us at least I hope it will but my Sara?_ The eye stung as she tried to get all of the soap out of it. Finally she gave up and turned the water off. Reaching clumsily for the towel she nearly slipped on the shower curtain. Luckily she had grace and skill on her side and remained upright.

_Great. You are in charge or protecting someone and you can't stop yourself from almost wanging your head on the bathroom sink._ Emily wiped the little bit of steam from the mirror and looked at herself in the mirror. Ironically both eyes looked bloodshot. _Must not have gotten enough sleep. Damn. Not gonna get far tonight._ Sighing heavily she dabbed at her eye until finally the stinging got to a tolerable level. She then proceeded to finish up with her personal grooming and slipped into her clean clothes.

Sara was not in the bedroom so she assumed that she was in the living room. Sure enough the petite blond was trying to watch television only the cable had not been turned back on. So there was a movie playing. The soldier didn't own that many movies and in fact they were all war movies given to her by the general. Why he insisted on war movies was beyond the soldier. _I want to watch television or read to escape to relive my everyday life._

There was one other movie that Emily had forgotten that she had. It was something she had seen a long time ago when she'd actually had a week in the States instead of just a day or two here and there. It had been given to her as a sort of gag gift from Charlene and her mind was racing wondering if that was indeed the movie that Sara had found. When she walked in she knew immediately it was the movie. It was one of those lesbian movies that were half about sex as they are about the story.

The still damp tendrils of the short blond hair could be seen leaning forward apparently quite into the movie that was on the screen. With Emily's better than average hearing the sounds that went with the movie was painfully obviously clear. The moans and the grunts that were echoing throughout the living room instantly had the soldier embarrassed to a nice crimson. There was actually heat radiating off from her face the blush was so painfully deep.

Sara heard the soldier come in but chose not to acknowledge her at least for a moment. While no virgin when it came to watching some late night Cinemax or as she liked to call it Skinamax, this was a lot different. Though the movie had only been on for about twenty minutes it was clear that the two women were more than just in lust. They were, if not in love at the very least had deep feelings for one another. Anything else the college student had ever watched was simply about the sex.

Finally after the love seen was over, interrupted by the one woman's husband, Sara finally stood up and turned to see a very embarrassed soldier standing there. Her usual way of handling a situation like this would be to give the other person a very hard time. But looking into those blue eyes melted something in her. _They always affect me. I don't know, I mean, wow! They can go from ice to inferno in the beat of a heart. Soldier girl I don't think anyone truly knows how deep your emotions run, do they?_

The college student made her way slowly over to the soldier. The raven haired beauty could not maintain eye contact. The look that Sara was giving her was far too intense for her to handle along with all the other emotions that were running through her heart. Smaller but strong hands took her larger but stronger hands for their own. It caused at least for a moment for Emily to look into caring green eyes. "I liked what I've seen of the movie so far." That got an eyebrow raised yet the taller woman's gaze was once again averted. "I liked it not because of the love scenes though those were hot. I liked it because of the love story."

Emily finally got a shy smile on her face. The truth be told the soldier was not totally comfortable watching love scenes. However she loved the romance that was behind the buildup to those love scenes. That was why she had kept this movie and not some of the others that the diner owner had given her over the years. "Charlene has given me a few movies that are similar. Most are just about the sex. That one is different."

"I know." Sara pulled the soldier into a hug. "I think we just found something else that we have in common. I love a good romance." She felt strong arms wrap around her and sighed in contentment. They both knew they had to get going but for some reason it just felt right to take a moment and just hold one another. Being on the run they just might not be able to do that very often. "Of course I don't object to the love scenes."

Long strong arms stiffened around her. Then she let out a laugh. _This is the woman that I fell for. This is the woman that while scared is still having that little bit of teasing streak. I hope she never changes that this whole thing doesn't end up being too much for her._ "I'll let you in on a little secret." Sara pulled back so that she could look fully into those hypnotic blue eyes. "Until I met you I never really cared for the love scenes. But now…"

Sara blinked a couple times letting that sink in. _Is she really saying that she thinks of me and her in one of those scenes?_ That thought got her a warm feeling all the way down into her nether region. _Keep this up and I'll have to at least wash up if not take another shower._ "I think I know what you mean." The petite blond began to lean up only to have the gap closed. She found herself taken somewhere she had never before gone with the intensity of the simple kiss. "Now I do know what you mean."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Emily moved out of the embrace. She made her way over to the DVD player and ejected the movie putting it back in its case. As she winked she said, "This will keep us entertained." Really she didn't have quite the bravado she was trying to show. But it got the desired affect when she saw Sara swallow hard and her eyes never left the taller woman as she tucked the movie in the duffle bag. "Now, how about us filling up our bellies?"

It wasn't long until they had Emily's other vehicle packed up. Not to the surprise of Sara the small Jeep Wrangler had pulled up in front of the apartment building. It was black at least and not camouflage. Of course that had made sense. Black was a color that blended better than most. People saw reds and yellows before they would see a generic color such as the plain black with dark gray interior. They had loaded up the back of the Jeep and the petite blond had wished she'd packed more clothes if only so they wouldn't have to worry about washing them that often.

Sara had driven the jeep followed by Emily on the motorcycle to the diner where instead of pulling into a parking spot the soldier had driven around back to what looked like what had been a mechanic's garage at one time. The petite blond took the first parking spot available and got out locking the vehicle before going out back to find her girlfriend. Emily was already putting the door down when she sensed someone. She looked up and smiled when she saw the blond goddess walking toward her.

Emily had been pleased that Sara had dressed a little bit more down. Her shorts were black and were a touch longer just above the knees. The shirt she wore was cotton and had three buttons at the V of the neck which only one was actually buttoned. The lilac color of the shirt somehow brought out the green in her girlfriend's eyes but then it seemed that no matter what the petite blond wore her eyes were accentuated oh so nicely.

"Want to see where I used to spend some of my summers?" Emily held out her hand. The petite blond simply nodded. Sara was anticipating finding out a little bit more about her girlfriend. They walked hand in hand into the three stall garage. There was a lift that still appeared to be able to work as well as many tools of the trade still scattered around. "If Mom and Dad were both overseas when I was sent to stay at the General's house. Whether or not he was home I would spend weekends here helping to fix up classic cars. Well I did until well both of them passed away."

Sara could see the sad and faraway look in her eyes. It truly was as if the older woman had been transported to the past. At first from the expressions on her face she would have sworn that it was a happy place. But quickly there was the noticeable change from sadness to pain and even a bit of anger thrown in. The petite blond could not help but wonder, and get angry with, the person that had caused so much pain for the taller woman.

The soldier regained control of her emotions quickly and did what she usually did when things got her upset. She attempted to dwell on the happy ones. It was hard especially in this case but she was a soldier. She would do what she had to do. Emily pointed out a loft area. "I used to sleep up there. It was kinda like a campout for me of sorts. The garage is not heated and sometimes the nights got rather cold. But I never cared. There's a small round window at the west end of the building. It's perfect for watching the sunset, the stars come out and the moon rise."

Now there was a dreamy look on the raven haired beauty. Sara liked that look. Her idea of a soldier was one that was without imagination not without emotions. No, a soldier would be like her. She had been trained for years to not let her emotions get away from her. One thing about being with Emily she knew that her girlfriend would not get upset at her if she were to burst into tears for what seemed like no reason. Instead of yelling there would just be strong arms around her.

"I envy you." Emily turned to look at the sad look on Sara's face. Without a word the petite blond felt herself being pulled into a hug. _In some ways you are so predictable, Soldier Girl. And in this case it's very good to be predictable._ Her voice was a tad bit muffled as she explained her statement. "I never had a safe haven growing up. My grandparents were good to me but they all were gone by the time that I was eight. Mom always went along with whatever Dad said. I did spend some time with some cousins but never felt comfortable there. I guess my only place wasn't a place but a person. Cynthia was the one that made me feel like more than just this android programmed to promote my father's career."

"Having a person that supports you no matter what you do is just as important if not more important than having a place that makes you safe." Emily hadn't even realized that she was rubbing the back of her girlfriend. It was meant as a comforting gesture but the taller woman was finding it just as comforting as the smaller woman. Hesitating only for a moment she took a deep breath and said, "Well now you have another person and a safe haven. You are welcome here and well you have me."

Reluctantly Sara pulled out of the warm embrace. She looked up into blue eyes. For some reason there was a bit of moisture as the soldier was beginning tear up just a little. It surprised the college student. While they were having an emotional conversation she hadn't thought it was that emotional. _You really do have some really deep hidden scars don't you? And you just offered me yourself in a way that is more intimate in a way then if were to have made love._

"I do have you don't I." It was not a question really. In that moment in time something passed very deep between the two women. There were a lot more secrets to reveal. Some that would be easy and some would be painful. Could some tear them apart? There are always things in one's past that are hard for a partner to swallow. But if there is enough love and understanding than anything is possible. "I consider myself the luckiest woman on the planet."

That led to another display of emotions as the couple used their tongues to express everything that was inside their hearts. They didn't even hear the footsteps or the voice calling out their names. They got so lost in one another that it took a shout of both their names from someone standing only a foot away. Of course most people would be embarrassed to interrupt but not Charlene. Finally the two women broke apart. "I thought I was going to have to get the hose and turn it on you two."

Sara only blushed slightly as she leaned on her girlfriend for support. The kisses had taken her breath away and had made her slightly weak in her knees. Emily of course was blushing furiously. Lucky for both women her knees were not quite as weak and were easily supporting their combined weight. "Sorry. We have to go away for a bit. I figured you'd keep the old girl safe until we got back." She felt the smaller arms wrap tighter around her waist.

For just the briefest of moments there was something that etched on the diner owner's face. If Emily was better at reading the emotions of people she would have known it for what it was. Charlene was jealous. Was it a deep down burning kind of jealousy? Only time would tell about that. But for now the older woman managed to keep her usual aloof attitude intact. "Of course I'll watch your baby for you. Haven't I always been there for you?"

It was Sara that had realized that there was something happening here more than met the eye. While young she knew exactly how to read people. She had been around enough politicians that she could cut through all the BS with a knife. "I'm sure that you have always taken care of Emily and her Harley." Even the soldier could tell that there was more to the words that her girlfriend had just said. "But I'm here now to take care of her."

Charlene's eyes darkened for a moment before she could get herself back on track. She had underestimated the petite blond. The diner owner decided that now was not the time to make a play for the tall gorgeous lick able soldier that always had and always would take her breath away. One of her biggest regrets was that Emily had resisted her charms and they had never been more than friends. "It's good that you both have one another. Now let's get inside and get you something to eat."

The walk into the diner was quiet. The time while they waited for their meals to arrive was rather quiet. Emily couldn't help but see that Sara kept giving almost a warning look to Charlene. It was making the soldier uncomfortable. The diner owner had a special place in the soldier's heart and always would. But if for some reason her soulmate was having trouble with the older woman than changes would just have to be made. _Good Lord she doesn't even know about…_

They were sitting in the back of the diner. Almost the entire day of travel had been wasted at this point and yet from a personal standpoint Emily really didn't care. From her soldier point of view she knew that another day like this was a near impossibility. They had finished their meal and even eaten a dessert that Charlene insisted they share. The soldier watched as green eyes just would not stop tracking the older woman. Finally she decided to bite the bullet. "Is there something wrong between you and Charlene?"

Sara had not realized just how much she had been staring, well glaring at the diner owner. She got a slight blush to her face making a mental note to be more careful about how obvious she was. After all she was a senator's daughter that should not be that difficult for her. But then she had never been in love before and known what jealously was all about. "Sorry. Didn't mean to ruin our day. It's just I get the sense that you and Charlene have a past. One that she doesn't want to stay in the past."

Emily turned around in the booth and glanced nonchalantly at the woman that had almost been her first lover. It had not happened because the love had been one sided and the soldier had always felt that she had been too young. But that had been seven years ago. There was no way that she still held a torch. Was there? When the older woman's eyes met her blue ones she felt it right through to her core. _How could I have been so blind?_

The soldier quickly turned back around. While she was loathe to admit that her friend still had feelings for her she had to. There was no way not to admit it. She sighed heavily not wanting to have to say what she had to say next. But she needed Sara to understand what had happened between the two women. Taking another deep breath to steel herself for what she was about to say her eyes met green ones. Instantly she shut up.

"So can I get you ladies anything else?" Charlene was smiling like there was nothing at all wrong with what she was feeling. Before for her it was all right to see Emily and Sara together because it to her was something that could not last. A soldier and a senator's daughter that was never going to be something that would last especially if the diner owner had any say. But watching them together and the looks that the petite blond was giving her she knew they were together and more than short term.

"No I think we'll just take the check and head out." Emily quickly stood and made her way to the counter not even waiting for either of the other two women to follow her. Suddenly she was not very comfortable being around Charlene at all. In fact as much as she was dreading telling Sara the full story of her and the diner owner the sensations she was feeling from the older woman were worse. "Thanks as always. We'll see you when we can."

Usually there would be a hug but suddenly the only thing that Emily wanted was the freedom of the open road. She cursed that they could not take the motorcycle with them. It provided such freedom going places that a four wheeled vehicle could just not go. Sara had trouble keeping up with the long strides as they made their way through the gravel filled parking lot. The soldier already had the doors unlocked and was in the process of putting down the vinyl top.

"Going topless are we?" Sara had to laugh at the way that Emily had stopped in the middle of her of what she was doing and stared at her. The smile that had been on her face faded just a bit. She had been trying to lighten the mood but could see that whatever was going on between Charlene and herself had the other woman quite upset. "Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood. After all we're about to take off for parts unknown."

The soldier watched as the petite blond got into the Jeep and slammed the door harder than she needed to. Emily cringed at the sound as she quickly secured the top. Quickly she made sure that everything was secured so that they would lose none of their possessions. The raven haired beauty got into the car and put the key in the ignition. Before starting the Jeep she turned to her girlfriend. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't know that Charlene still had feelings for me. I'm sorry that we are going off into the unknown. The only thing I'm not sorry for is that you and I are together."

The petite blond watched as the soldier put her seatbelt on. Her hand shot out just before Emily could start the engine. One dark eyebrow raised in question. The normally confident woman turned her gaze back to the diner. Charlene was still watching waiting for them to leave. "I'm sorry too." The feeling of a gentle hand on her leg caused her to look into loving blue eyes. "I knew you had a past. Everyone does. I mean I've kissed a few girls but as I told you I never…" She shrugged. "What I'm trying to say is that I'll learn to deal with any of your exes and just glad it's just you and me now."

There was a lot hidden in that statement. And Emily knew in an instant that she had to clarify some things. She gave her girlfriend one last squeeze of the leg and left a cloud of dust behind as she pulled out on to the road and headed for the expressway. For some reason, though there was danger surrounding her and Sara she was heading her vehicle in a direction she had not been in a long time. Something was making her want to confront all these old ugly wounds from her past so that she and the angel sitting next to her could have a clear foundation.

"I thought I told you this before." Emily was having to speak up as the wind was whipping her long black hair causing it to bite and sting her face. She was glad that she had managed to remember her sunglasses though the evening sun was just about down past the horizon already. "The only kind of past I have with women is twofold. One is a little longer story and we'll save for a time when I'm not driving. The other one is Charlene. And before you say anything I only kissed her. I am a virgin too."

Sara eyed her girlfriend wondering if it was true that. If what she was saying was true that made her a virgin just like herself. But a worldly soldier? That was something that was hard to believe. And yet in a way made perfect sense. While the 'do not ask do not tell' had been repealed in the military there was still a negative intonation with a gay person openly serving. "I believe you. But you are still going to tell me the whole story of what happened with Charlene and this mystery woman. And I'll tell you about Megan."

They rode in silence for an hour or so. The evening quickly turned into early night and it was around eight at night before they pulled up in front of a small hotel. "Want to get settled for the night before we make a stop?" Emily was already in the process of getting out of the Jeep when she felt a hand on her arm. When she looked at Sara there was a questioning look on her face. "Oh. I guess I should have told you. We're about ten minutes from my brother's house and coincidentally from one of the houses I grew up in and before you get excited remember my brother hates me. Hopefully he'll be civil with you along."

The petite blond could feel the chill in the air and decided that if they were going to go visiting that she would like to change into something a little warmer. "Perhaps we could check in and then change real quick. Getting a little chilly out here." She picked up her duffle bag and watched as Emily did the same. She was a little surprised when the bag containing the laptop was also picked up. "I'm not getting my hopes up but I can't wait to see someone from your family."

The soldier snorted. "Trust me when I say that the general and Jessica are closer to family than my brother, his wife or my niece are. I haven't seen her in years. I doubt she'll recognize me." They finished with the check in process and then went to the room where they took quick showers and changed into warmer clothes. They were back in the Jeep and on their way to one the houses that Emily grew up in. It was now nearing nine and both women hated arriving so late.

The security light over the side door came on as they pulled into the driveway. "A lot has changed." Even in the dark she could see that some trees had been removed and some pine trees had been planted. There were rose bushes on either side of the door instead of the lilacs from when she was there as a child. _Wonder what else is changed. Won't be able to see until daylight or more lights. _More lights came on and someone was coming to the side door to meet them.

An imposing figure stood in the shadow of the side door. The height of the figure was about three inches more than Emily. The figure shared a similar wide build but was definitely wider and more masculine in feature. The soldier definitely had very pleasing curves where this person did not. The door opened and closed. Something was said about staying inside. The outer opened and standing before the couple was a man that could not help but be mistaken for the dark haired woman's brother.

The man took a step squinting to see who was sitting in their Jeep in his driveway at such a late hour. The doors both opened at the same time illuminating both women. The dark haired man rubbed his chin that was stubbly from a day without shaving. His blue eyes widened when Emily turned around so that the light was showing over her entire body. Sara was by her side in an instant almost sensing the need for support from her girlfriend. A rough voice said, "What the fuck do you think you are doing here?" The soldier sighed. _Guess I should have known I'd never have a happy family reunion._


	11. Chapter 11

Emily had hoped for a better reception but was actually not disappointed either. It was the story of her life when it came to her brother. She really had never known what she had ever done to him other than be born. Was it because she had revealed herself to be gay at fourteen? Was it because she had followed in their parents' footsteps? Or was it because the general was close to her and never had been to him. One day she hoped to know the truth.

Sara had wrapped her arm around her soldier's waist. She was not sure what exactly was going on. Emily had only shared a little of what was going on between the brother/sister duo. It seemed that her girlfriend wasn't even sure what she had ever exactly done. This man standing before her just having sent out a bunch of expletives there way was already on the top of her list. That list of course started with her father was followed by anyone else out to hurt her or her girlfriend and then followed by him.

"Sorry we didn't call first." That got an angry snort out of the tall man standing glaring at the couple. "But it is kinda hard when you change all your phone numbers and your e-mail address." Emily was standing tall and proud. Deep down she knew that she had done nothing wrong. However part of her felt like a little girl that was in trouble for something. What that was she was not sure. So she just waited for him to say something. Worst case scenario, they went and got a late dinner somewhere and went back to the hotel to snuggle up for the night. That brought a bit of warm comfort to the soldier.

"You're Special Forces." The tall man took a few steps toward the couple before stopping short. His arms were crossed on his chest and he was giving the petite blond standing very close to his sister the once over. _Not bad, sis. I'll have to give you credit that you know how to pick'em. Now if only she wasn't a she and he was alive. Then maybe just maybe we could be family._ "I thought it would be nothing for you to track down a way to contact me if you really wanted."

That got the bile floating in the back of the soldier's throat. She had always hated how he used or put down any of the armed forces. It made what their parents had done seem like it was worthless when they had sacrificed their lives so that others could remain free and happy. "Maybe I don't like to use my connections when I should just have the information. After all, whether you like it or not, we are still family." There was a visible flinching when she said the last word. She decided to goad him even more. "So how's my favorite niece doing, Damion?"

Damion House looked at his sister like she had lost her mind. In fact he started to come at her when he was surprised as well as his sister when the petite blond came and stood protectively between the brother and the sister. "What the hell?" The tall man was actually laughing at the sight before him. If he had really wanted to hurt her he could in the blink of an eye. Of course he had not wanted to hurt his sister just make her leave. "You have no family left here. Get off my property!"

Before either woman could say anything the door opened once again. It quickly closed and into the light stepped a little girl that had sandy blond hair. It was too dark to see her eye color only that she was thin and gangly like. Emily could not help but think just how much the little girl reminded her of herself when she was younger. The young girl began to walk past Damion when a rough hand reached out to grab her. But the sandy blond was quite a bit quicker than the man.

Pattering in bare feet the little girl came to stand before the tall soldier who still had the petite blond standing protectively in front of her. Out of instinct Sara took a couple steps toward the little girl and kneeled before her. Now that she was closer the couple took in the blue eyes that were so much a trait in the House family. Without any question the college student knew that this was the niece she had heard about but still had no idea of her name. "Hi." The petite blond said in a soothing voice. "My name is Sara. I'm a friend of your Aunt Emily's."

At the last part the blue eyes grew wide. She looked at the taller dark haired woman almost as if she had seen a ghost. It took quite a few minutes before the nine year old was able to recover. "M-my name is Rose." She held out a hand in greeting. The gentle grip that the beautiful blond used caused the little girl to relax just a little. "Is she really my Aunt?" Sara tried to keep the confused look off from her face. Even if it had been a while since they saw one another you would think Rose would recognize her family. The college student nodded her head. "Wow! I was told that she was in heaven with Grandma and Grandpa."

Sara was careful with her choice of words as well as with her mannerism. She had seen a lot over the years having grown up around politics. Lying was something she was unbearably used to. But this kind of boldfaced lie and one that was so hurtful emotionally to a young girl was beyond anything that she had heard of. "I assure you that this is your aunt." The smile on the petite blond was so charming that Rose flung herself into the waiting arms of the practical stranger.

Emily was careful with her emotions. After just over four years in the military she was quite proficient at keeping her face steady. But at that moment it was taking every bit of her training for her not to glare at her brother or worse. She decided that since her girlfriend had more experience with children that she would follow her lead. The soldier came and kneeled next to the two that were still hugging. "Hi, Rose. Sorry it's been so long since I've come for a visit. I think it was your third birthday was the last time I got to see you. No wonder you don't remember me."

Rose quickly changed her hugging partner. For a little girl she was quite strong and had a little weight behind her as well. That caused the soldier to fall back into a sitting position. Being very careful she brought the little girl onto her lap. Twin blue eyes stared at one another before the little girl dared to speak. "I was told you were mean." That got a careful eyebrow raised. "Daddy says that you like to fight all the time. Fighting isn't nice."

The soldier looked from the trusting sweet and innocent little girl in her lap to her brother. The look only lasted a moment but it was enough to convey what the soldier was really thinking of just how mean her brother was and had always been. "Well I am a soldier. That means that I have to fight sometimes." Rose got all wide-eyed at the statement. "But when I fight it's with people that are trying to do bad things to other people. I try really hard not to hurt anyone even really bad guys."

Sara came and put a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "I haven't known your aunt only a few weeks but she's always been very nice to me." Small blue eyes met green ones. "In fact she's taken good care of me a couple of times." She leaned down and whispered in the little girl's ears. "In fact she saved me from drowning." Blue eyes went wide and a huge smile was on Rose's face. "That's part of the reason I like Emily so much." She looked up at the man glaring at the threesome. "I hope that you will get to know your aunt better and soon."

A voice came from behind the tall man. The face that belonged to the voice came out the door and held her hands out. "Come, Rose." The child looked at the tall woman standing next to her father. She looked back at her aunt who nodded her head. Rose scrambled to her feet waiting until Emily had also gotten to her feet. Then she was over to the woman and hugging her side. "It's past your bedtime young lady." The voice was not scolding just firm. "Perhaps your aunt and her friend can come back tomorrow."

That got a low barely audible growl out of the tall man standing there. He was not happy that his wishes were being disobeyed but now he really had no choice. In fact he grumbled something about a barbeque as he gently took Rose up into his arms and kissed her forehead. Though he heard her pleas for a goodnight kiss from her new friends he chose to simply ignore them. Instead he tucked her into her own bed and then went off to his own.

"Emily, you look good. At least I think you do. It's a little dark out here." The woman's voice echoed into the night. It was a sweet voice that reminded the soldier just a little what her mother's voice had sounded like. This woman though was far taller and she had the lightest brown eyes that Emily had ever seen. If she remembered right the hair was the sweetest of colors. In the sun it looked golden and in indoor light it took on an auburn colorization. Simply put she was a beautiful woman.

"I'm sorry, Grace that we came so late. I wasn't thinking." Emily took Sara's hand in her own and made her way to her sister-in-law. "I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Sara." The two women shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. It took a moment to get her words in order. "We've been together only a couple weeks. I met her while on assignment. Therefore we really can't only stay a day or two here. I um…" The raven haired beauty really didn't want to finish that thought.

Grace seemed to read her sister-in-law's mind. "If this is a working relationship as well as personal relationship that means that either one of you is in danger." With a sad smile she said, "I have kept up with you through the general. Much to my husband's disapproval of course." The woman took a deep breath before she continued. "I won't tell Damion about the danger. I want you to get a day with your niece and with your brother." There was something in her brown eyes that Emily could not understand. It was very guarded that much she realized. "You need to talk to your brother. There is a reason he has never liked you."

Emily stiffened at the thought. It wouldn't surprise her if Damion had kept something all these years from her. They had never been close even before their parents died. Part of it was the fact that they were ten years apart. The other reason wouldn't come until she was a teenager and he was already married with a kid of his own. "I can't wait to hear what Damion has had against me all these years with the exception of…" She trailed off not wanting to say anything that was overly bitter.

Her sister-in-law seemed to understand and simply nodded her head. Her brown eyes went to the petite blond still standing there looking extremely protective of the taller woman. By the looks she was quite young though the limited amount light made it hard to see clearly how old the woman was but could see the admiration obvious on her fair face. "I know. And I've always been sorry for that. All I've ever wanted for you is happiness. Drive safe both to where you are staying and back here. We're having a barbecue tomorrow at around one. Finally got your brother to take a day of."

Emily was surprised when Grace closed the distance and pulled her into a tight embrace. Perhaps she had judged her sister-in-law unfairly. After all they had really never gotten the chance to know one another. Her visits were brief whenever she was allowed to visit. That was why the general was the one that had pretty much raised her. "Thank you. And again apologize to both Rose and my brother about the lateness of the visit. See you tomorrow."

Rose nodded and shook Sara's hand before she made her way back into the house. Emily stared after the woman wondering what it was that the woman was hinting at but figured that tomorrow would reveal what it was. "So, how bout something to eat?" They had made it to the Jeep and were backing out of the driveway. "I know of a place that has five alarm chili if you are up for it this late at night." The vehicle made it to the main road and the petite blond had still yet to answer.

The Jeep sat there idling waiting to see if there was any response from the petite blond. There was a shadow in the green eyes. True it was very little light as the traffic was sparse this Sunday night but still she could see that there was something plaguing the slightly younger woman. "Are you all right?" Emily's voice was quiet. She was actually scared that seeing her family and the acceptance of the invitation for the next day was too much for her girlfriend. "I should have asked if it was all right…"

Sara's sweet voice finally filled the interior of the Jeep cutting the soldier off. "You're too much sometimes." Emily gave her a quizzical look as she pulled out onto the main highway and headed back toward the hotel and of course the restaurants. "If you don't know by now I'll let you know when something isn't all right." She thought just a moment about that. "Except when I'm shocked than I seem to go into 'self-protect' mode like I did when you told me about yourself and Dad."

Emily took this in. The little time that she had known Sara it was true. While she would not necessarily categorize her girlfriend as being outspoken she wasn't shy either. A memory of her getting ready for the petite blond's birthday party flashed into her mind. The college woman had commented on just how good her outfit looked and almost made her fall off from a ladder. It was priceless. "And we still have that, Charlene and a lot more to talk about. I guess it's take-out and back to the hotel."

The soldier drove to one of her favorite haunts as a child. In fact her mother had taken her the last time that she was home on leave just before…Emily swallowed trying to get her emotions under control. It had been a long day already having dealt with the unexpected jealousy of Charlene, the questions of her past by Sara and then stupidly or smartly trying to reconcile just a little with her brother and his family. The only real reason that the time was not right was because of the danger that surrounded the couple.

It wasn't long before they were back in the hotel. Emily basically picked at her favorite meal of when she was a kid which was chili cheese dogs and chili cheese fries. Her mother had always wondered how she had stayed in such good shape even as a child. Sara on the other hand seemed to have no problem with her version of the same meal. "I don't think we should have come here." The soldier sighed heavily as she tried to take another bite of her chili cheese dog. "I don't think I'm thinking straight."

"I hope not." Sara watched as her soldier went from staring at her booted feet to staring at her with at first wide eyes. Slowly there was a twitching at the corner of her mouth. Then a smile broke out on her face and finally she began to laugh. "It's good to hear you laugh. In the short time we've know each other I think I've only heard you laugh a couple of times." The petite blond watched as her girlfriend wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I know." Emily felt a lot better and suddenly her food did as well. It was still a slow consumption but still she began to eat once again. "Part of that I guess is my childhood. Never easy to lose your parents at a young age." She shrugged having dealt with that at least she thought a long time ago. "The other part is just simply training. You hide your emotions. You become that super soldier when you enter the ranks of Special Forces." Once again she shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"So what you are saying is that to become a soldier, an elite soldier, you have to basically give up a large part of yourself." Emily once again shrugged as if it was no big deal. It was who she was. It was who she had wanted to be even before her parents had died. It was like a tradition for her to want to carry on and to protect and serve her country. Now she was not so sure. Sara quickly got up and knelt in front of her girlfriend. "Then I think you give up way too much."

Emily was suddenly nervous. They were delving into an arena that she was not comfortable with. It was why she had trouble with the visit with her brother's family though she hoped she hid it well. That's why she had trouble talking to Mrs. Kingston just before they left and all the chats that she had had with Cynthia. Anything to do with emotions was sometimes if not always too much for the big tough soldier to handle. The raven haired woman swallowed hard as Sara reached up and began to gently stroke her cheek.

Sara watched as the blue eyes closed. Almost she could swear that the woman sitting in front of her was purring. _She has probably not had a lot if any intimate contact with anyone since her parents died. I know her brother was never there for her and I'm sure the general, while loving, kept his military distance. That would leave Jessica, Martha and Charlene. I don't want to think of that diner owner._ The petite blond tore her thoughts away from one of the few people in the world she disliked and turned her attention fully on her girlfriend.

"We both know that my childhood was not the most loving as well." Emily's blue eyes popped open as she leaned more and more into the addictive feeling of the simple contact of Sara's hand on the soldier's cheek. The college student carefully chose her words as she continued. "I did have Cynthia. In a way I had Mom but she was too frightened, I think, of Dad. I'm saying this because we both have had problems with feeling loved in the past. We deal with it differently. I'm a little bit of a troublemaker while you are a straight lace soldier. It works for us with everyone else. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Emily looked deep into those green eyes. Had she only know this woman for three weeks going on a month? Had she fallen in love with this woman that quickly? And the look that she was receiving and the gentle words that were just said told her in no uncertain terms that Sara was in love with her too. The soldier swallowed hard. It was not like she had not thought these thoughts before. But to have it so plainly laid at your feet was a little unnerving for someone not used to dealing with these kinds of emotions.

The solider swallowed hard once again and took a deep breath. Sara really was putting her heart on the line right at this moment and Emily knew it. The raven haired beauty opened her arms wide in invitation. The petite blond quickly managed somehow to get herself seated in her tall girlfriend's lap. Her head was leaning gently against the shoulder of her girlfriend. Though it was not the most comfortable position in the world they stayed like that for almost an hour.

Finally it got to be too much for the soldier to handle physically as her leg and arm muscles were screaming at her. Somehow, though her legs were almost gel like when she finally managed to stand up, she got Sara over to one of the beds. The petite blond had fallen asleep in her arms and that was why she had hated to move. That and the fact that it just felt so good just to hold the smaller woman in her arms. It felt right and it felt natural.

Somehow the soldier got Sara tucked into the covers after taking off her shoes. Though it was still the end of June the night felt cool and she decided to leave the socks on just in case. There was a small whimpering sound when she had put her onto the cool sheets. Emily made sure she had the key card and quietly left the sleeping woman. As quickly as she could she made her way to the office of the hotel and arranged for the hotel room for another night.

With that done she made her way back to the room. She had left on just the light by her bed as to try and not disturb the sleeping blond. After making her preparations for the night she was dressed in her usual boxers and A-shirt. It didn't take long after snuggling under the sheets and blankets for the exhausted soldier to fall asleep. It had been a long few weeks with some nights staying up all night just to do research. In the back of her mind she really should be doing some checking on things but allowed herself just one night of sleep.

That was what she was hoping for. One of the many things that Sara didn't know about her girlfriend was about the nightmares that sometimes plagued her. It was a time that Emily would rather never think about again. It was the one time, other than Charlene and that was a teenager's crush, that she had allowed herself to give her heart freely to someone. They had not even kissed as they were on the same Special Forces team. And yet they had grown close enough that they had decided to take leave in the states together and see where things might lead.

Emily was only twenty at the time. Alicia Wen was new to her team but she was older. Not like the age difference between the diner owner and the soldier but it was a five year difference. The older soldier was her commanding officer at the time but in Special Forces there was sometimes a blurring of the lines as situations developed so quickly that the higher ranking soldier would go into combat first. They spent many a time holed up somewhere just trying to survive.

That was how their working relationship had turned so quickly into friendship and within three months of serving together they had begun to make plans for their off duty time making sure that they would be able to spend it together. But they never got the chance. They were put into a situation that was as bad as it gets. There was really no way out. The only member of the team that had managed to survive, scarred but alive, was Emily. Alicia had been the one that distracted the enemy and yet it was still almost a total loss.

_It seemed like there was blood everywhere but there was a thick smoky haze that was difficult to see through. Emily tried to move only to realize that the blood that she saw was her own. The warmth of her own blood seemed to keep getting worse as the minutes ticked away causing the rest of her body to become cold. A medic was by her side in an instant placing pressure on her stomach. The soldier tried to push him away so that she could get to the slumped form that was just out of her reach._

"_Let me go!" Emily tried once again to push the man away but he was too strong and she was too weak. Another two medics came to view carrying a stretcher. They picked up the figure that the soldier had been trying to get to. What could be seen of a face came into view. "NO!" Her voice echoed throughout the night's air even though there were still the sounds of war echoing around the young woman. "It can't be…" She began to blubber and push away any attempt to treat her wounds._

Sara awoke to the sounds of thrashing. She blinked a couple times trying to get her eyes to focus in the dimly lit room. The only light was the little that was coming from the edges of the curtain and from the red digits on the clock that now said 2:57am. While used to traveling as a child and into her teenage years she really hadn't done any with the exception of going from home to school. That never entailed staying at a hotel room and so she was a bit disoriented at first.

The sounds had either been in her head or had gone away and so she decided to change into her sleeping clothes. Never had she felt comfortable sleeping in her blue jeans. It took her only a little bit for her to get herself ready for bed. While she was still in the bathroom she thought that she heard the sounds once again. Leaving the bathroom light on she slowly made her way out into the living area of the hotel room.

This time Sara could see that the other occupant of the hotel room was thrashing around in bed. A name was being called over again at least the petite blond thought that it was a name. With no more hesitation she was sitting on the edge of the bed. Carefully she put her hand on one arm not wanting to startle the strong woman. At first the college student thought that she was going to get hit but what happened surprised her more than anything.

Emily, still trapped in her nightmare, took Sara into her arms. She was holding her so tightly against her body that the smaller woman was having trouble breathing. The soldier's cheek was leaning against the top of the blond head which allowed the college student to feel the warmth and wetness of the tears that were freely falling from the bluest eyes. "I'm so sorry, Alicia. I should have been the one to go. Why did you have to go? I'm sorry. If only…"

Sara was being hit with a lot of emotions the past two days. There was the emotional goodbye to her mother. That had gone better than she thought as they had actually come to a bit of an understanding. There was finding about her father at least the bare minimum. There was truly giving her heart to Emily something that she thought she would never do or at least not until she was older. There was dealing with her own jealousy. Then there was anger over how Emily's brother had treated her all these years. Now this was something yet again. It sounded like the soldier had not been truthful with her so what was she feeling now? Anger? Yes. Jealousy. Yes. And yet there was still that pesky thing called love.

Before Sara knew what was happening, the grip on her lessened and she was being rocked back and forth. It was a great feeling being in these protective arms and yet at the moment it was confusing the hell out of her as well. Not because she thought she belonged anywhere else it was just that her soldier was elsewhere and it really wasn't her that was being held. It saddened her and made her angry at the same time.

Emily finally slowly opened her eyes. The rocking motion stopped as she took in where she was and who she was holding in her arms. Reluctantly she let go of her girlfriend and scooted back a little so that she was leaning against the padded headboard of the bed. Not good at reading people she still could tell that Sara was asking in no uncertain terms what had happened. And in that moment the soldier knew that she was going to have to open herself up completely to this woman.

The soldier opened her arms hoping that Sara would not rebuke her invitation. She closed her eyes and took in the scent and the feel of the woman in her arms when her girlfriend didn't disappoint her. "Sorry for waking you. I have what you might call posttraumatic stress syndrome. Only in the sense that I suffer from nightmares. I've tired therapy and talking to the general but nothing ever seemed to help." She sighed heavily as she decided just how much to tell her potential lover. "I lost my commanding officer in battle. She sacrificed herself for us all and yet I'm the only one that survived."

At first Sara was startled thinking how close she came not to ever knowing her soldier. And then she realized that while younger she was not naïve. She knew that there were parts of the story that her girlfriend was leaving out. For a moment she wondered if she should push or if she should let Emily open up to her in her own time. The young woman sighed not knowing what to do other than to shift her weight so that she was able to look into blue eyes. It started innocently enough. It started with a little nibble on the neck. That led to nibbling on the collar bone. Soon small hands were roaming over thin cotton material.

For a moment Emily let the administrations go on. She knew though that she would not be able to handle too much attention. While she had her minor experience with Charlene there was no way that she could let this go on. Every touch of the petite blond was like a flame to a fuse. If not put out there would be an explosion of epic proportions. And while that was a very appealing thought now was not the time or place for that.

The soldier reluctantly put a halt to the exploring of her body by her girlfriend by the way of her lips. She wrapped her strong arms around the woman partly to still the explorations but also to show the love to someone that was basically her everything now. Her niece would always have a big part of her life but this small woman was now her life. "There of course is just a little more to the story than that. She was my first love. We knew each other about three or four months. We were thrown into some tight spaces. It just happened. And yet, nothing happened."

Sara could understand that a little. While Megan was someone that she had a lot in common with, more than she figured she ever would with the soldier, and yet the feelings just weren't there as much as her friend would want them to be. There was one person that she had almost with. Never had they kissed and never had they done more than talk over the phone or via the computer. They had met just before she was shipped off to Oxford.

It had been a surprisingly fast friendship. There was a bond there that she could not explain. And she really never even felt physically attracted to her which was not unusual but still it made the petite blond wonder. "I had a relationship somewhat like that." Emily sniffled as she tried to get her emotions back under control though she felt good to get some of the things she shared with Sara out in the open. "It was funny. I told Mom about her and the next thing I knew there was nothing from her. It was like she disappeared or something."

One dark eyebrow rose at the thought. _I wonder if Mrs. Kingston told her husband about it. I'm sure that she did. After all they've been married forever. What are you thinking, House? Why is your sixth sense ringing loud in your ears over this one?_ "Sara, I was wondering if you still had the contact information for your friend. And before you ask there is just something in the back of my mind that is telling me that something is not right with your situation."

Now the petite blond was beginning to get a little annoyed. Every time that she could get Emily to start talking about this first love it seemed that she would turn it around to something from Sara's past. She could not help but wonder if the soldier truly was opening up to her or if she was keeping things hidden as was a soldier's nature. For now she decided to give the taller woman the benefit of the doubt. But if things kept up like this there would be a discussion. A very, very long discussion indeed.

The lack of sleep was suddenly getting to the petite blond and her annoyance was starting to build. Still she decided to answer her girlfriend and hope that they could both snuggle up and get a few winks before they had to go through yet another emotional rollercoaster dealing with whatever it was that her brother had to throw at them. "I still have Jasmine's information. I don't understand why you…" Then it dawned on her. "She was someone you didn't know about. You haven't run background on her."

A yawn caught the soldier off guard and so she was not able to answer right away. "Now that I can talk to you about this we need to sit down and make a list of all the people in your life. That means family, friends, classmates, and anyone in between. It's not that I suspect all of them I just have to eliminate them. Of course your father is still behind one aspect. But there were at least three distinctive threats." The soldier stretched careful not to dislodge the woman lying on top of her.

"We can do that in our next stop." Sara was now imitating the yawn that she had just seen come from her girlfriend. "I'm rather tired now." She once again made it so that she could look into blue eyes. "Do you want me to go back to my bed?" Deep down the petite blond was hoping that the answer would be a big 'no'. Never in her life had she felt this comfortable with a person before. All she wanted to do was snuggle. Well, that was not all that she wanted to do but for not it was what had to be.

Emily simply answered her by getting up and turning off the bathroom light and then the one by the bed, settling into a fairly comfortable position and wrapping her long arms even tighter and more protectively around her young charge. Life was hard enough without having to endure nightmares. She figured that maybe just maybe holding the woman that she loved in her arms that her bad dreams would be chased away. At least one could hope for that and hope for happiness in the end.


End file.
